Wear resistance of Si3N4 materials

The excellent wear properties of silicon nitride materials are the basis for many applications of these materials, such as ceramic or hybrid rolling bearings, cutting tools, wear parts in automotive engines (valves, cam rollers, valve plates for eommon rail systems), and parts for metal shaping. 

Wear is a property of the system, not only of the material. Therefore a few special applications will be presented to show the influence of the microstructure on the wear properties. 

The lifetime and load capacity of a ball bearing can be increased by optimisation of the geometry of the track [113-115,118], by reduction of the material damage due to cyclic Hertzian contact, and by reduction of the friction coefficient [114,116], 

The high temperatures and mechanical load that are generated at the cutting edge cause wear by a variety of mechanisms  

The first two mechanisms lead to more or less continuous wear of the cutting tool over its lifetime. 

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