Title: Microstructure and fracture toughness of in-situ-toughened SiC composites

Authors: Y.-W. Kim, Y.-I. Lim

Addresses: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Seoul, 90 Jeonnong-dong, Dongdaemoon-ku, Seoul 130-743, Korea. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Seoul, 90 Jeonnong-dong, Dongdaemoon-ku, Seoul 130-743, Korea

Abstract: Silicon carbide composites with toughened microstructure were prepared by two-step process based on liquid-phase sintering for densification and subsequent annealing for grain growth. The resulting composites consist of uniformly distributed elongated α-SiC grains, matrix-like TiC grains, and an amorphous grain boundary phase. The in-situ toughening is a result of the β-to-α phase transformation of SiC or the controlled grain growth of SiC during annealing. Crack deflection by the elongated α-SiC grains appears to account for the increased toughness of this new class of composites.

Keywords: annealing; ceramic; composite; fracture toughness; in-situ-toughening; microstructure; processing; SiC-TiC.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.2003.003592

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 2003 Vol.18 No.1/2/3, pp.199 - 214

Published online: 21 Sep 2003 *

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