Low-friction ceramic

Abstract: The present invention provides a low-friction ceramic having a lowered coefficient of friction and an enhanced strength. The ceramic comprises as the matrix phase a nonoxide ceramic containing silicon, such as Si₃N₄ or SiC and an iron compound in an amount of about 5 to 40% by weight dispersed in the matrix phase. This ceramic is excellent in the ability to adsorb lubricating oil, has a low coefficient of friction, is almost free from pores, and has a strength equal to or higher than that of a ceramic containing no iron oxide.

Description: The present invention relates to a low-friction ceramic which comprises a matrix phase of a nonoxide ceramic containing silicon. A method of decreasing the coefficient of friction of ceramics by dispersing silicon carbide (SiC) and boron nitride (BN) in silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 30769/1984. Si 3 N 4 containing an iron oxide such as Fe 3 O 4 as a sintering aid is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 64268/1983, 88374/1984 [GB No. 8228174 (application date: October 1, 1982)] and 72685/1986 [US No. 631269 (application date: July 16, 1984)]. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 30769/1984 discloses a silicon nitride sinter having a low coefficient of friction. For the purpose of improving the slipperiness at elevated temperatures of the sinter, a filler is dispersed as a solid lubricant in the matrix of the sinter, the filler containing at least one member selected from among carbon, BN and SiC containing free carbon. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64268/1983 discloses a silicon nitride sinter and a process for producing the same. The sinter is prepared by sintering in a nonoxidative atmosphere a powdery mixture comprising 1 to 20% by weight of a powder of at least one oxide selected from among Fe 2 O 3 , CaO, TiO 2 , MgO, Al 2 O 3 , BeO, NiO, Cr 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 , Y 2 O 3 , CoO 2 and SiO 2 , 5 to 40% by weight of a powder of at least one silicide selected from among those of metals including Ca, Ti, Zr, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Fe, Co, Ni and Y, and the balance comprising Si 3 N 4 powder. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 88374/1984 discloses a process for producing a silicon nitride ceramic. The ceramic is prepared by sintering a compact comprising Si 3 N 4 and at least one oxide sintering aid selected from the oxides of metals including Mg, Y, Cr, Mo, Fe, Mn, W, Co, V, U, Ni, Ti, Hf, Zr, Nb and Ta. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 72685/1986 discloses a corrosion-resistant silicon nitride body. The body comprises about 3 to 18% by weight of lanthanum oxide, about 0.5 to 5% by weight of aluminum oxide, about 2% by weight of Fe, about 0.2 to 5% by weight of C, Ca, Al or an oxide thereof and the balance comprising Si 3 N 4 , and has a relatively high corrosion-resistance against phosphoric acid. EP-A-0392381 and EP-A-0479214 disclose silicon nitride ceramics having varying ranges of silicides of iron, cobalt or nickel. US-A-4332909 discloses a silicon nitride based sintered product, having, inter alia, self-lubrication. A silicon nitride ceramic is required to have a low coefficient of friction when used as an engine part. In general, Si 3 N 4 containing SiC, BN or an oxide each dispersed therein is poor in the reactivity in the bonding interface and exhibits inferior strength, thus causing unfavorable results. The Si 3 N 4 containing an iron oxide such as Fe 3 O 4 as a sintering aid,as disclosed in each of the above patent documents, is poor in the amount of oxide and cannot attain the characteristic of low friction. It is an aim of the present invention to solve the aforestated problems and provide a low-friction ceramic which has a low coefficient of friction and high strength by adding an iron oxide such as FeO, Fe 2 O 3 or Fe 3 O 4 in a given amount in the matrix phase of a nonoxide ceramic containing silicon to disperse the iron compound in said phase and thereby improve the ability to absorb oils for the purpose of lowering the coefficient of friction of the nonoxide ceramic which contains one of SiC, Si 3 N 4 , a composite material of SiC and Si 3 N 4 , sialon (Si-Al-O-N) or Si-O-N. The present invention provides a low-friction ceramic comprising one member selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon carbide, a composite material of silicon nitride and silicon carbide, Si-Al-O-N and Si-O-N as a matrix phase and a second phase composed of an iron-silicon compound dispersed in said matrix phase, said second phase having a particle size of at most 5 µm and being contained in said ceramic in an amount of from more than 5% to 20% by weight in terms of iron oxides which have been added during formation of the ceramic to provide the source of iron for the iron-silicon compound. The present invention also provides for the use of a ceramic having the composition set out above for low friction applications. The present invention further provides a process for making the lower friction ceramic of the invention which comprises adding the iron oxides during formation of the ceramic to provide the source of iron for the iron-silicon compound for low friction applications. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a graph showing the coefficient of friction vs. the loading of iron oxide for the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a graph showing the average four-point flexural strength vs. the loading of iron oxide for the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention. Fig. 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the coefficient of friction and the parameter including the load, velocity and viscosity of lubricating oil with respect to the loading of iron oxide for the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view by 5000 × magnification of the structure of a sliding test piece of the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention by SEM (scanning electron microscopy). Fig. 5 is an enlarged view by 1000 × magnification of the structure of a sliding test piece of the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention by SEM. Fig. 6 is a graph showing the X-ray micro qualitative analysis results of a sliding test piece of the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention. Examples of the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings. The low-friction ceramic according to the present invention is a nonoxide ceramic containing silicon to which is imparted a low coefficient of friction without lowering the strength and comprises the above-mentioned nonoxide ceramic as the matrix phase and an iron compound dispersed therein. The nonoxide ceramic containing silicon is one of SiC, Si 3 N 4 , a composite material of SiC and Si 3 N 4 , sialon Si-Al-O-N and Si-O-N. Preferred materials are SiC and Si 3 N 4 . The size of the particles of the iron compound is 5 µm or smaller. The content of the iron compound in the ceramic is from more than 5% to 20% by weight in terms of FeO, Fe 2 O 3 or Fe 3 O 4 so as not to appreciably decrease the strength of the ceramic. The low-friction ceramic according to the present invention can be produced in the following way. In Example 1, the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention was produced through the following steps. At first, Si 3 N 4 , Al 2 O 3 and Y 2 O 3 were blended in the proportion of 90:5:5, to which were added three iron compounds, FeO, Fe 2 O 3 and Fe 3 O 4 , each in a given amount distilled water and a binder, and mixed in a ball mill for about 24 hours. The resultant mixture was granulated with a spray dryer to produce various granular products having different loadings of the iron compounds. Then, the products thus granulated were preformed in a mold having inside dimensions of 25×20×100 mm and the resultant preforms were each molded into the form of a rectangular parallelopiped by CIP under a pressure of about 2000 kgf/cm 2 . The resultant moldings were degreased and then fired by heating to a maximum temperature of 1850°C in a nitrogen atmosphere at 9.3 MPa to produce various dense sinters. The sinters produced through the above-mentioned steps were machined and polished into test pieces in the form of rectangular parallelopipeds with dimensions of 16×10×70 mm to carry out a sliding test. As the mating members, that is, the mating sliding test pieces for performing the sliding test of the sinters, Si 3 N 4 sinters having a relative density of 99% or more were produced and made into pins having spherical surfaces with a 9 mm radius of curvature at the end surfaces thereof. One of the pins as the mating sliding test piece was set almost perpendicular to one surface of the respective rectangular parallelopiped sliding test pieces, and the coefficient of friction between the test pieces was measured under the sliding test conditions at a load of 1.0 kgf, temperature of 150°C, and sliding velocity of 1.0 m/sec, while a synthetic oil excellent in heat resistance was used as the lubricating oil. Fig. 1 gives the test results in which various iron compounds, Fe m O n (FeO, Fe 2 O 3 and Fe 3 O 4 ), were added to Si 3 N 4 in various amounts. As can be seen from Fig. 1, an amount of Fe m O n added to Si 3 N 4 in the range of 10 to 20% by weight results in a coefficient of friction, µ, as low as about 0.01, whereas an amount thereof exceeding 20% by weight tends to increase the coefficient of friction to some extent. The contact angle of a dense sinter selected from the sinters against the lubricating oil was measured. As a result, it was confirmed that the composite material had a small contact angle and thus exhibited excellent adsorptivity. In addition, from an observation of its texture, pores were seen in the composite material having a larger amount of added iron oxide (40% by weight or more), presumably because of the increased coefficient of friction by the interlock with the mating surfaces during sliding. In Fig. 1, zero Fe m O n loading refers to conventional Si 3 N 4 as a comparative example. Subsequently, identification of the phase present in Si 3 N 4 was made by X-ray micro qualitative analysis for the iron oxide loading of 10% and 20%by weight, respectively. As the result, the phase proved to be composed of an iron-silicon compound as shown in Fig. 6. This compound presumably has an excellent ability to adsorb lubricating oil. The rectangular parallelopiped sliding test pieces produced in the aforesaid manner were machined to prepare test pieces for the 4-point flexural test to thereby measure the flexural strength. The results are given in Fig. 2, from which it can be seen that the strength decreases with an increase in the amount of added Fe m O n . It has been proved by the 4-point flexural test that Si 3 N 4 containing 10 to 20% by weight of added Fe m O n has a strength equal to or higher than that of the Si 3 N 4 containing no Fe m O n . In Fig. 2, zero Fe m O n loading refers to conventional Si 3 N 4 as a comparative example. The texture of each of the sliding test pieces having 10 to 20% by weight of added Fe m O n was observed by SEM. Fig. 4 with 5000 × magnification and Fig. 5 with 1000 × magnification show the structure of the sliding test pieces having 10% by weight of added Fe m O n The white parts in the Figures indicate the presence of an iron-silicon compound. It has been proved that in the sliding test pieces having 10% by weight ofadded Fe m O n , the iron-containing portion does not form solid solution but exists in a dispersed state. It has also been proved that in the texture of the sliding test pieces, scarcely any pores are observed, the growth of crystal grains is suppressed by the iron compound and fine crystal grains remain uniformized. Such a texture is believed to be advantageous in enhancing strength taking Griffith's formula into consideration. The sliding test pieces containing more than 10% by weight of added Fe m O n are decreased in strength. As the result of the observation of the texture in the same manner, the aggregation of Fe m O n was recognized and pores were present in the site of aggregation. It is conceivable that the decrease in the strength of the sliding test pieces is due to the presence of pores causing the initiation of fracture. By plotting parameters including the load and velocity of the sliding test pieces and the viscosity of the lubricating oil as the abscissa, the coefficients of friction were measured under various conditions. The results are given in Fig. 3, in which the parameter P is represented by the formula P = log (η × V/F) in the unit of [(m 2 /S)·(m/S)/kgf], wherein η is the viscosity of the lubricating oil, V is the velocity and F is the coefficient of friction. As can be seen from Fig. 3, the test pieces containing added Fe m O n are effective in decreasing the friction in the mixed lubricating region as compared with Si 3 N 4 containing no added Fe m O n . Next, another example of the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention will be described with reference to Example 2. In Example 2, SiC powder, boron as a sintering aid and Fe 3 O 4 were blended in given proportions to prepare a low-friction ceramic. The blend was mixed with twice as much distilled water in the same manner as that of Example 1 to prepare a mixture, which was then granulated with a spray dryer to produce a granular product. In the same manner as that of Example 1, the product was sintered and used to produce test pieces. Measurements were made of the slipperiness and strength of each test piece with the results described hereunder. The test pieces having 10% and 20% by weight of added Fe 3 O 4 had a coefficient of friction (µ) of 0.015 and 0.024, respectively, and a strength of 478 MPa and 490 MPa, respectively. The test piece having the increased amount of added Fe 3 O 4 of 30% by weight had a coefficient of friction (µ) of 0.033 and a strength of 463 MPa. The test piece, containing no added Fe 3 O 4 had a coefficient of friction of 0.039 and a strength of 560 MPa. As described above, the low-friction ceramic produced in Example 2 was somewhat inferior to that produced in Example 1 with respect to strength, but exhibited the composite effect of the added iron oxide. Next, for the purpose of comparing the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention with the conventional ceramic, comparative test pieces of Si 3 N 4 containing BN in place of iron oxide were produced in the same manner as that of Example 1 as Comparative Example 1. The slipperiness and strength of the comparative test pieces were measured with the results being described hereunder. For the same purpose, comparative test pieces of Si 3 N 4 containing SiC in place of iron oxide were produced in the same manner as that of Example 1 as Comparative Example 2. The slipperiness and strength of the comparative test pieces were measured with the results being described hereunder. In Comparative Example 1, the coefficients of friction (µ) were 0.018, 0.026 and 0.032, respectively, and the strengths were 560, 420 and 116 MPa, respectively, for the addition of BN in amounts of 10, 15 and 20% by weight, respectively. In Comparative Example 2, the coefficients of friction (µ) were 0.025, 0.033 and 0.046, respectively, and the strengths were 768, 645 and 472 MPa, respectively, for the addition of SiC in amounts of 10, 15 and 20% by weight, respectively. It has been proved, therefore, that the comparative test pieces of Si 3 N 4 containing BN and containing SiC respectively are markedly inferior in strength and provide a smaller decrease in the coefficient of friction (µ) as compared with the low-friction ceramic according to the present invention.

Claims: A low-friction ceramic comprising: one member selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon carbide, a composite material of silicon nitride and silicon carbide, Si-Al-O-N and Si-O-N as a matrix phase; and a second phase composed of an iron-silicon compound dispersed in said matrix phase, said second phase having a particle size of at most 5 µm and being contained in said ceramic in an amount of from more than 5% to 20% by weight in terms of iron oxides which have been added during formation of the ceramic to provide the source of iron for the iron-silicon compound. The low-friction ceramic as claimed in claim 1, wherein the matrix phase comprises silicon nitride and further comprises aluminium oxide and yttrium oxide. The low-friction ceramic as claimed in claim 2, wherein the compound containing iron and silicon is dispersed in the matrix phase in an amount of from 10 to 20 % by weight in terms of iron oxides. The low-friction ceramic as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the low-friction ceramic is substantially pore free. Use of an iron oxide such as FeO, Fe 2 O 3 or Fe 3 O 4 as a source of iron in a phase composed of an iron-silicon compound having a particle size of at most 5µm dispersed in a matrix phase of a low-friction ceramic, the matrix phase comprising one member selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon carbide, Si-Al-O-N and Si-O-N, and the dispersed phase being contained in the ceramic in an amount of from more than 5% to 20% by weight in terms of iron oxides for improving the dispersion of the iron-silicon compound in the matrix phase. A process for making a low-friction ceramic according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the process comprising adding the iron oxides during formation of the ceramic to provide the source of iron for the iron-silicon compound for low friction applications.

Inventors: KITA HIDEKI, UNNO YASUAKI, YAMAMURO HIDEO, KITA, HIDEKI, UNNO, YASUAKI, YAMAMURO, HIDEO
Applicants: ISUZU CERAMICS RES INST, ISUZU CERAMICS RESEARCH INSTITUTE CO., LTD.
Application year: 1993
Main classification: C04B35
IPC codes: C04B35, F16C33