"Mechanical Behavior of Nitrides" 

Yang Chen, MSE PhD Candidate 

Advisor: Professor Xinghang Zhang

WebEx Link

ABSTRACT

Nitrides are widely used ceramics with high hardness, high modulus and high melting points. These superior mechanical properties come from the strong directional bonding and structure of nitrides. However, the deformability of nitrides tends to be poor thus their industry applications are limited. Usually, improving the deformability of material will lead to a decrease in hardness. However, we would like to investigate the potential of improving the ductility of nitrides while maintaining a decent strength. In this paper we would discuss the mechanical behavior of nitrides and review some possible methods to toughen nitrides.