Oxidation of aluminum nitride at high temperature and low pressure

The study of the physico-chemical behaviour of ceramic materials for space applications requires the implementation of specific simulation means. So, we have developed a testing bench named MESOX (Moyen d'Essai Solaire d'OXydation) for simulating the atmospheric reentry conditions of space planes, which associates a solar radiation concentrator to a microwave plasma generator. The theoretical oxidation is studied by a thermodynamical calculation particularly for the determination of the transition zone. Oxidation experiments are done under molecular and dissociated air on sintered ceramics (SiC, Si3N4, AlN).