Textured crystal growth of Si3N4 ceramics in high magnetic field

A systematic investigation has been made on the textured crystal growth Of Si3N4 ceramics in high magnetic field with and without rotating of the gypsum mold during the slip casting. According to X-ray diffraction and microstructure analysis, a 10 T magnetic field is found to have a tendency to orient Si3N4 grains with their a- and b-axis parallel to the magnetic field. If the gypsum mold is rotated during the slip casting in the magnetic field, the crystal growth Of Si3N4 grains has a tendency to align on a certain direction. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.