Sintering kinetics involving grain growth and densification of Mg-PSZ nanopowders

Sintering kinetics have been found to be effective in judging the evolution of ceramics.By using magnesium oxide-partially stabilized zirconia(Mg-PSZ)powder prepared by co-precipitation as raw materials,the evolution of densification and grain growth for Mg-PSZ ceramics were investigated.The results indicated that the densification of samples was mainly controlled by grain boundary diffusion in intermediate sintering stage.During the sintering process,the grain growth mechanisms included normal grain growth,abnormal grain growth and solid solution drag-controlled grain growth.Interestingly,the apparent activation energy for grain growth of Mg-PSZ ceramics is lower than that of ZrO_(2)–Y_(2)O_(3)ceramics in the solid solution drag-controlled grain grow process,which will cause grain to grow easily.The sintering kinetics and microstructure of Mg-PSZ ceramics were studied,and the kinetic equation of grain growth at different temperatures was established.The results show that the strength difference between Mg-PSZ and yttrium oxide-stabilized zirconia is closely related to the easy grain growth of Mg-PSZ ceramics.

Impurity formation mechanism of silicon carbide crystals smelted by Acheson process

In order to further promote the application of SiC refractories in modern steel metallurgy,the occurrence forms and formation mechanism of impurities in SiC crystals smelted by Acheson process were investigated.The techniques of inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry,X-ray diffraction,and scanning electron microscopy were combined to examine the types and occurrence forms of impurities in smelted SiC crystals.The results showed that the main impurities in the SiC are free Si,free C,oxides(CaO·Al_(2)O_(3)·2SiO_(2),3Al_(2)O_(3)·2SiO_(2),CaO·SiO_(2) and SiO_(2))and alloy phases(Fe_(x)Si_(y),Fe_(x)Si_(y)Ti_(z) and Fe_(x)Al_(y)Si_(z)).The formation process of impurities during the smelting of SiC can be described as follows:At high temperature,the SiO_(2) and Fe,Ti related oxide impurities present in the raw materials are reduced to Si,Fe,and Ti metal melts.After the reduction process,the free Si,Fe_(x)Si_(y) and Fe_(x)Si_(y)Ti_(z) are precipitated from the melt during cooling.Free Si primarily exists in aggregated form within the SiC crystal,while the alloy phase is predominantly found at the interface between SiC and free Si,with Fe_(x)Si_(y)Ti_(z) embedded within FexSiy.Towards the end of the cooling process,other impurity oxides such as Al_(2)O_(3),CaO,and some unreduced SiO_(2) solidify to form calcium-aluminum-silicate glass phases,predominantly located between SiC grains.The remaining C from the reaction is mainly dispersed as free C within the SiC crystal and at the interface between SiC and free Si.

Preface

This special issue is dedicated to the 3Oth anniversary of Journal of Iron and Steel Research International.In the past 30 years,Journal of Iron and Steel Research International has been focusing on the academic research and advancement in metallurgy and metallic materials.