Fabrication and characterization of Si3N4 whisker-reinforced SiO2 ceramic for radome materials

Fused silica ceramic has become one of the most widely used radome materials in the world since the 1970s. But its poor mechanical properties restricted its application to some extent. To improve the mechanical properties of the fused silica ceramic and keep its characteristic for radome materials, silicon nitride (Si3N4) whisker-reinforced fused silica ceramics were prepared by a slip-casting method in the work. The influence of Si3N4 whisker contents on the properties of the slurry was studied, indicating that the preferable pH values of the slurry were 4-6 and whisker contents were 10 wt.%. The flexural strength of as-prepared Si3N4w/SiO2 ceramic was about 74.35 MPa, exhibiting an increase of 7.75% over that of the pure silica sample. Its dielectric constant in the range from 8 to 12 GHz and tan delta under 10 GHz were, respectively, 3.37 and .0011. It is of great interest to find that Si3N4w/SiO2 has excellent oxidization resistance and its mass maintains even at 1270 degrees C.