High-temperature corrosion of material based on silicon nitride and exposed to salts

Materials based on silicon nitride or carbide have shown promise for use in manufacturing gas-turbine and diesel engine parts. This paper presents an investigation of the corrosion of a reaction-sintered material based on silicon nitride with the addition of 30% silicon carbide and 2% magnesium oxide, when exposed to melts of sodium chloride, sodium sulfide, or sea salt. The studies show that the material corrodes very little in sea salt or sodium chloride melts, but it is destroyed rapidly in a sodium sulfate melt.