摘要 |
A ceramic compact having excellent high temperature strength, toughness and reliability, which comprises a matrix preferably composed predominantly of silicon nitride and ceramic fibers uniformly dispersed in the matrix and orientated in a desired direction, said matrix and fibers being closely bonded by sintering. This compact is produced, for example, by preparing a shaped body of silicon, for example, in which ceramic fibers are uniformly dispersed by centrifugal casting and then heating and nitriding the shaped body in a nitrogen atmosphere to form a fiber-reinforced silicon nitride sintered compact. The ceramic fibers may include such fibers as aluminum oxide or silicon carbide fibers. Sintering assistants, such as silicon nitride, may be used to prepare the sintered compact.
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