Silicon Nitride Ceramics for Machine Parts

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Silicon Nitride Ceramics for Machine Parts

　Toshiba Materials' silicon nitride is lightweight and has excellent wear resistance and corrosion resistance　properties. From these characteristics, it is used in automotive and industrial machine parts applications. Toshiba Materials manufactures and sells Silicon Nitride Ceramics parts such as ball blanks(for bearings).
　In bearing applications, silicon nitride is contributing to weight reduction and performance improvement of various applications, and leading to replacement of steel balls. Our material is widely used as standard material in the market and also designated as certified material for aircraft engine application by various companies. It was also used in the bearing of turbo molecular pumps of the Space Shuttle, which was launched from 1995.
　In addition, it has a proven track record in check valves for supply pumps for diesel engines (common rail system) that require wear resistance and high rigidity, check balls for fuel injection ports, bearing balls for aircraft engines, etc. It is also used in bearing balls of motors for electric vehicles that require electrical corrosion resistance characteristic and used in a wide range of fields.

Features

Low density (less than half the weight of a steel ball of the same size)
High heat resistance
Resistant to electrical corrosion as it is an insulator
Resistant to corrosion and rust caused by acids and alkalis
Not easily affected in a strong magnetic field as it is a non-magnetic material

Product specifications（List of representative values）

Items	Measuring method	Measuring temperature	Unit	Silicon nitride(Si₃N₄)
Items	Measuring method	Measuring temperature	Unit	TSN-03NH	TSN-23HA
Density	JIS Z8807	RT	g/cm³	3.24	3.27
Hardness (HV(196N))	JIS R1610	RT	-	1,500	1,500
Three point bending strength	JIS R1601 ASTM C1239	RT	MPa	1,000	900
Compression strength	JIS R1608	RT	MPa	5,500	5,000
Young's modulus	JIS R1602	RT	GPa	303	315
Poisson's ratio	JIS R1602	RT	-	0.28	0.28
Fracture toughness	ASTM F2094	RT	MPa･m^1/2	7	6
Coefficient of thermal expansion	JIS R1618	RT～500℃	x10^-6/K	2.7	2.7
Volume resistivity	JIS C2141	RT	Ω･m	>10¹²	>10¹²
Corrosion resistance※	Acid	RT	-	Good	Good
Corrosion resistance※	Alkali	RT	-	Good	Good
Features				High strength Abrasion resistant	Abrasion resistant Corrosion resistant (Electrical corrosion)
Recommendatory applications				Bearings Engine parts Mechanical parts	Bearings Engine parts

※Corrosion resistances were measured under following conditions.
Acid;96hours immersion at RT in 36%HCl,95%H₂SO₄ and 60%HNO₃. Alkali;in 5%NaOH,40%NaOH.

The values in the table are reference values,not guaranteed values.