Xiuhua Zhang’s research while affiliated with University of Science and Technology Beijing and other places

Resin-bonded Al-SiC composite was sintered at 1100, 1300, and 1500°C in the air, the oxidation mechanism was investigated. The reaction models were also established. The oxidation resistance of the Al-SiC composite was significantly enhanced with temperature increase. SiC in the exterior of the composite was partially oxidized slightly, while the transformation of metastable Al4C3 to stable Al4SiC4 existed in the interior. At 1100°C, Al in the interior reacted with residual C to form Al4C3. With increasing to 1300°C, high temperature and low oxygen partial pressure lead to active oxidation of SiC, and internal gas composition transforms to Al2O(g) + CO(g) + SiO(g) as the reaction proceeds. After Al4C3 is formed, CO(g) and SiO(g) are continuously deposited on its surface, transforming to Al4SiC4. At 1500°C, a dense layer consisting of SiC and Al4SiC4 whiskers is formed which cuts off the diffusion channel of oxygen. The active oxidation of SiC is accelerated, enabling more gas to participate in the synthesis of Al4SiC4, eventually forming hexagonal lamellar Al4SiC4 with mutual accumulation between SiC particles. Introducing Al enhances the oxidation resistance of SiC. In addition, the in situ generated non-oxide is uniformly dispersed on a micro-scale and bonds SiC stably.

A novel silicon-alumina-fused mullite-containing Ti2O3 composite refractory is prepared and sintered in the presence of solid carbon at 1300 °C in N2. The sintered samples exhibit a functional gradient characteristic. The phase evolution can be described as follows: Passive and active oxidation of Si to form SiO2 and SiO to reduce the partial pressure of oxygen. SiO(g) and Si react with N2 to form Si3N4 respectively. As the temperature increases and the partial pressure of oxygen decreases, Ti2O3 reacts with CO and N2 to form Ti(C,N)ss, which is accompanied by the release of O2. Si3N4 fixes the O2 and reacts to form Si2N2O, and Si2N2O reacts with Al2O3 to form O′-Sialon, thereby realizing the transformation from Si3N4 to Sialon. CO and residual carbon from the pyrolysis of phenolic resin react with SiO(s) and Si to form SiC. The dense layer formed by SiC and SiO2 blocks the diffusion of external gas to the central parts of the samples, there is still free Si which can continue to react and transform into a non-oxide reinforcing phase. In this paper, the reaction models are presented.

The non-oxide-reinforced phase AlN-SiC solid solution with high performance was successfully synthesized in the resin-bonded Al-Si-SiC composites under flowing nitrogen at 1300 °C. The AlN-SiC solid solution was synthesized by three paths of liquid-solid, gas-solid and gas-gas reactions through modulation of Al/Si ratio, and controllable microstructure of AlN-SiC solid solution was attained. The phase composition and microstructure of the sintered samples were characterized by XRD and SEM, combined with thermodynamics, the formation mechanism of AlN-SiC solid solution was investigated and the reaction model was established. Al was not detected while Si was detested by XRD. Granular, short columnar and whisker-like AlN-SiC solid solution were generated and their positions varied. As the temperature increases, the partial pressure of oxygen decreases due to the oxidation of Al, Si and SiC on the surface of the sample, inside the sample, the active oxidation takes place, generating Al2O(g), SiO(g) and CO(g). Due to the low oxygen partial pressure, Al is preferentially nitrided to form a thin AlN layer on its surface. The AlN layer is broken as the temperature increases, then liquid Al wih carbon from resin begins to flow, leaving the residual shell of AlN in situ. When it flows to the surface of Si, Al-Sialloy is formed locally inside the Si particles under the wetting effect of C, then hexagonal AlN-SiC solid solution is formed inside the Si shell. Part of SiO(g) + CO(g) diffuses into the interior of the AlN residual shell and reacts by aggregation to form a granular AlN-SiC solid solution in the shell wall; others diffuses into the pores of the sample for vapor deposition, and finally forms stacked hexagonal flaky whiskers. The in-situ generated of AlN-SiC solid solution with multiple morphologies in the composite plays a joint toughening effect, which can significantly enhance the comprehensive performance of the composite. In this experiment, the synthesis of AlN-SiC solid solution without sintering aids under normal pressure at a low temperature. It is expected to be applied to the blast furnace and to realize the longevity of blast furnace.

Novel silica bricks were made of crystalline silica with ferrosilicon nitride as the mineralizer. The phase, microstructure, pore characteristics and high-temperature properties of the novel silica bricks prepared by adding 1%, 1.5% and 2% ferrosilicon nitride were characterized. The results showed that, compared to conventional silica bricks (with mineralizers of calcium hydroxide and iron scale), the novel silica bricks with the addition of ferrosilicon nitride contained less calcium oxide, less residual quartz and more tridymite. The ferrosilicon nitride was gradually oxidized to form SiO2 and Fe2SiO4 during the firing stage of the silica bricks. After adding ferrosilicon nitride, the degree of particle breakage was reduced, and the pore size of interconnected pores increased. With the increase in ferrosilicon nitride content, the silica brick structure gradually densified. The silica brick sample with 2% ferrosilicon nitride achieved better creep resistance at high temperature (1550 °C, 0.2 MPa), but the refractoriness under load of the bricks was slightly reduced by using ferrosilicon nitride as a mineralizer. An optimization model of ferrosilicon nitride as a mineralizer was established.