Evaluating Wear Performance of Silicon Nitride-Hexagonal Boron Nitride Composite Using Taguchi Method

Abstract

Objective: Research in the field of bio-tribology is trying to evaluate biomaterials with minimum wear. Silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) has recently been proposed as an alternative material for hip/knee joint replacement. The wear properties of Si₃N₄ can be enhanced by adding hexagonal boron nitride (hBN).

Methods/Analysis: In this article, the sliding wear behavior of Si₃N₄-hBN composite against alumina and steel (ASTM 316L) is evaluated in order to decrease wear loss. An attempt was made to determine the effect of hBN addition on Si₃N₄ wear performance. The experiments were planned according to Design of Experiments (DoE) – orthogonal array Taguchi method to evaluate the effect hBN addition for wear characteristic of silicon nitride..

Findings: To reduce Si₃N₄ wear loss, Taguchi analysis suggests 15N load and 8% volume of hBN against alumina, and 15N load and 12% volume of hBN against steel. The interaction between load and hBN addition is playing important role in wear performance of silicon nitride