Boron Nitride Sintered Material via Ceramic Powder Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of titanium nitride powder through nitriding reactions results in particle melting and coarse lumps, leading to insufficient strength in hard materials when used as raw materials, and existing methods fail to achieve the desired strength and thermal conductivity for cutting tools and abrasive parts.
Innovation Solution
A ceramic powder with a nitride or carbonitride of group 4, 5, or 6 metal elements is produced with an average particle size of 5 µm or less and an oxygen content of 0.3% or less, using methods such as heating in purified gas, low oxygen partial pressure, or thermal plasma treatment, to create a high-strength sintered material for cutting tools and abrasive parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If high-purity metallic titanium powder is heated in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere to produce titanium nitride powder through a nitriding reaction, then titanium nitride powder is produced, but titanium nitride particles melt due to significant heat generation and form coarse lumps
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the raw material (using titanium alloy powder with specific aluminum content of 0.01-5 mass%) to control the reaction heat and particle growth during nitriding, preventing particle melting while maintaining manufacturability
Solution Approach 2:
Aluminum acts as an intermediary element that modifies the nitriding reaction behavior, controlling heat generation and particle formation to prevent coarsening while enabling successful powder production
2Manufacturing precision
If oxygen content is reduced to 0.5% or less to prevent titanium nitride particle coarsening, then particle coarsening is suppressed, but the hard material is insufficient in strength
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes multiple parameters simultaneously: oxygen content (0.1-5 mass%), aluminum content (0.01-5 mass%), and particle size (1-10 μm) to achieve a balance where sufficient oxygen remains to ensure strength while controlled particle growth maintains fine particle morphology for hardness
3Manufacturing precision
If particle size is reduced to achieve fine powder, then powder quality for hard materials is improved, but production difficulty increases due to heat control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
By specifying aluminum content range (0.01-5 mass%) in the raw material composition, the invention inherently controls reaction heat generation, making fine particle production (1-10 μm) achievable without excessive production difficulty
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting ceramic powder provides a sintered material with improved strength and thermal conductivity, suitable for high-performance cutting tools and abrasive parts, while maintaining a low oxygen content and controlled particle size.
Implementation Method 1
heating a high-purity metallic titanium powder in a nitrogen-containing atmosphere to produce titanium nitride powder through a nitriding reaction
Implementation Method 2
thermal plasma treatment
Data Source
AI summary
A ceramic powder containing at least one of a nitride and a carbonitride of a metal element as a major component, the metal element being one or more elements selected from the group consisting of a group 4 element, a group 5 element and a group 6 element, the ceramic powder having particles having an average particle size of 5 µm or less, and an oxygen content of 0.3% by mass or less.