What Ceramic to Choose
Silicon Nitride: Among the various engineering ceramics that have been developed over the decades, silicon nitride has received the most attention for use in internal combustion engines and turbines. It has good thermal shock resistance (ΔT ~ 600 C) and good creep resistance. Though very desirable as an engine material, their poor mechanical strength (low fracture toughness) has precluded their use in load-bearing applications. As the brittleness of silicon-based ceramics is considered an intrinsic characteristic of such materials (ref 15) by virtue of their strong bonding, covalent and ionic, only limited increases in the fracture toughness of silicon nitride is believed to be attainable. The development of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) is considered to be a more attractive alternative (ref 15), but success in this approach has been limited.
Although some progress has been made over the years, the processing of silicon nitride remains a problem (ref 20) and larger higher-strength silicon nitride components have yet to be fabricated. Silicon nitride cannot be heated over 1850 C to densify because it dissociates into silicon and nitrogen. Also its covalent bonding does not allow it to easily sinter and fully densify.
Furthermore, silicon nitride ceramics in a hot, corrosive and humid oxidizing atmosphere (such as during fuel-air combustion in internal combustion and turbine engines) are prone to degradation. When they are subject to oxidation, water vapour and high temperatures they form a thermally-grown silicon oxide layer which continually volatilises as hydroxide species affecting the integrity of the silicon-based ceramic surface. For more about silicon nitride and silicon carbide degradation see references 7-13 and 17-18 below.
Despite the persistent and seemingly intractable problems of degradation and poor mechanical strength as well as the difficulties in fabricating and processing larger higher-strength load-bearing components, silicon nitride ceramic remains surprisingly the preferred high temperature material for turbines.
With only a limited budget, Ceramic Rotary Engines Inc (CRE) simply cannot afford the very high costs that are required in developing a silicon nitride engine given the length of time silicon nitride has been under development (i.e. since the 1960s) and given the great uncertainities in the fabrication of durable and reliable silicon nitride components for our ceramic engine.