Erosion and Abrasion Behavior of Sialon Ceramic

The erosion and abrasion of Sialon ceramic was studied using silicon carbide particles as wear media. The erosion of Sialon represents the character of brittle erosion: under the high angle erosion, the erosion wear rate increases rapidly with the increase of the erosion angle, being maximized at 90°. The analysis of SEM indicates that the erosion mechanisms of Sialon ceramic mainly airs microcutting and surface grain spalling. In the abrasive wear of Sialon ceramic, under a higher load, there is an exponential relation between wear loss and wear time; under a lower load, at the beginning of wear there is an incubation during which wear loss is keeping at low level, then wear loss will increase after incubation. The incubation was discussed. By SEM analysis, the dominating wear mechanisms are plough and surface fracture shedding.