Hot Forging of a Textured α‐Sialon Ceramic

A texture was introduced into an Sm‐α‐sialon ceramic by hot pressing, such that the c ‐axis was preferentially oriented normal to the pressing direction. The material was then uniaxially hot forged for up to 60 min, with the forging direction normal to the hot‐pressing direction. The texture initially reduced to a one‐dimensional preferential orientation in the direction normal to both the hot‐pressing and hot‐forging directions. Further deformation resulted in a two‐dimensional texture normal to the hot‐forging direction. The forging process was used to produce a strong one‐dimensional texture by alternating between the hot‐pressing and hot‐forging directions, thereby producing a material with significant anisotropy in its properties.