It is well known that powder characteristics of high-performance ceramics have great influence on the sintering activity of the powders and the properties of the final products. Since grinding process is essential for such materials in many cases, it is important to grasp the change in powder characteristics by grinding.
In this study, Si₃N₄ powder was ground with a vibration ball mill under several experimental conditions to examine grinding characteristics such as wear behavior of a mill and grinding media, particle size distribution, specific surface area, and X-ray diffraction intensity. Consequently the following results were obtained; ultra-fine grinding of Si₃N₄ was possible using a vibration ball mill and grinding behavior was considerably affected by the materials constructing the mill and the grinding media (especially by the hardness of the materials).

^† This report was originally printed in J. Soc. Powder Technology, Japan, 20(2), 82-85 (1983) in Japanese, before being translated into English by KONA Editorial Committee with the permission of the editorial committee of the Soc. Powder Technology, Japan.