Investigation on Gel Casting Preparation of Porous Si₃N₄ Ceramics through Orthogonal Experimental Design

Porous Si3N4 ceramics by gel casting preparation has received considerable attention because of its excellent performance. In the paper, orthogonal experimental design L16(45) was used to investigate the preparation of porous Si3N4 ceramics by gel casting preparation. Three variables including solid loading, monomer content and the ratio of crosslinking agent to monomer were studied. Through range analysis and variance analysis, the results suggest that the ratio of crosslinking agent to monomer has significant influences on both the flexural strength and porosity of Si3N4 sintering body. For the flexural strength of Si3N4 sintering body, the order of significance levels was as follows: the ratio of crosslinking agent to monomer, solid loading and monomer content. For the porosity of Si3N4 sintering body, the order of significance levels was as follows: the ratio of crosslinking agent to monomer , monomer content and solid loading.