Growth behavior of aluminum borate whiskers on zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) particle surface

In this work, B₄C-covered zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) particles are prepared and oxidised at 1050 °C for different times (0, 2, 4, and 8 h) in air. The X-ray diffraction and electron probe micro-analysis results show that the covering layer is mainly composed of oxide B₂O₃ intermetallics, residual B₄C particles, and Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ whiskers. The scanning electron microscopy results show that the growth of Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ whiskers on the ZTA particles enhances with increasing heat preservation time; the optimum holding time is determined to be 8 h Al₂O₃ in the ZTA particles diffuse into the covering layer and combine with B₂O₃ to form Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ whiskers; the Al₁₈B₄O₃₃ whiskers grow via the liquid-solid mechanism.     

Microstructure of Silicon Carbide Whiskers Synthesized by Carbothermal Reduction of Silicon Nitride

The microstructure of silicon carbide whiskers synthesized by carbothermal reduction of silicon nitride has been studied using transmission electron microscopy. All of the whiskers examined are single crystals, and grow in the (111) crystallographic direction. Two different forms of stacking faults and microtwins were observed; in one the planar defects are normal to the whisker growth direction, and the other has the defect planes at an angle of about 70° to the growth axis, while both forms of the defects are on the [111] closed-packed planes. Without the addition of catalyst, droplets containing metallic impurities were not found at the tips of the whiskers synthesized by the present process. A core and outer regions were observed in the single-crystal whiskers, which may be evidence that the whiskers were formed by a two-stage mechanism.     

Synergism of Toughening Mechanisms in Whisker-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites

The improved fracture resistance of whisker-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites involves more than one energy-absorbing mechanism. The possible mechanisms are reviewed and a micromechanical model evaluating the relative contributions to the overall toughness is presented. The mechanisms involve microcracking, load transfer, bridging, and crack deflection. The synergism of these mechanisms is examined using an energy release rate balance equation. The basic assumption of the proposed model is that the load transfer between the matrix and the whiskers is due to Coulomb friction. The model has been applied to an Al₂O₃/SiC whisker composite and shows reasonable agreement with reported experimental results. The role of the thermal residual stresses is also examined in light of the frictional load transfer assumption.     

Effect of Processing Temperature on the Morphology of Silicon Carbide Whiskers

Two kinds of SiC whiskers were annealed at temperatures similar to those for the processing of ceramic matrix composites. The morphology and structure of the as-received and postannealed whiskers were investigated by SEM, TEM, and XRD, and the influence of processing temperature on the mechanical properties of ceramic matrix composites was discussed.     

Dependence of Silicon Carbide Product Morphology on the Degree of Mechanical Activation

Mechanical activation before carbothermic reduction can substantially enhance the formation of SiC from SiO₂and carbon mixtures. However, the morphology (e.g., particles or whiskers) of SiC formed from mechanically activated SiO₂and carbon mixtures is dependent of the degree of mechanical activation and the condition of the subsequent carbothermic reduction. These phenomena are investigated and rationalized based on the increased reactivity of the reactants and SiC formation mechanisms.     

Mechanical Properties of Alumina/Silicon Carbide Whisker Composites

The improvement of mechanical properties of Al₂O₃/SiC whisker composites has been studied with emphasis on the effects of the whisker content and of the hot-pressing temperature. Mechanical properties such as fracture toughness and fracture strength increased with increasing whisker content up to 40 wt%. In the case of the high SiC whisker content of 40 wt%, fracture toughness of the sample hot-pressed at 1900° decreased significantly, in spite of densification, compared with one hot-pressed at 1850°. Fracture toughness strongly depended on the microstructure, especially the distribution of SiC whiskers rather than the grain size of the Al₂O₃ matrix.     

Side-Surface Structure of a Commercial β-Silicon Carbide Whisker

The side surfaces of a commercial β-SiC whisker were analyzed by calculating the surface energy and observing the microstructure of the whiskers. The results indicated that the side surfaces displayed a type of zigzag structure and were composed of {111}, {110}, and {100} crystal planes.     

熔铸-原位反应法生成α-Al2O3晶须的形貌及结晶方向

利用熔铸－原位反应法制备TiC/Al复合材料时，发现Ti-C-Al反应块表面存在大量的Al2O3晶须，晶须的形貌包括长而直的板状和串珠状，取决于反应进行时铝熔体的温度，当铝熔体温度低于900℃时，形成板状晶须，而当铝熔体温度高于900℃时，形成串珠状的晶须，其原因是由于较高的铝熔体温度加剧了TiC原位反应的放热，热起伏的结果致使部分α－Al2O3晶须异常长大，X射线衍射和透射电镜分析确认晶须为α－Al2O3，其形貌以直板状为主，电子衍射花样斑点显示其结晶方向为[0002]。     

High-Temperature Creep Deformation of Alumina — SiC-Whisker Composites

The creep resistance at temperatures between 1200° and 1300°C in air of alumina—SiC-whisker composites was investigated via four-point flexure to examine (1) the effect of whisker content and (2) the influence of densification additives (i.e., Y₂O₃ (plus MgO)). The creep resistance of polycrystalline alumina is greatly improved with the addition of ≤ 20 vol% SiC whiskers. The interlocking/pinning of grains by whiskers which limits grain-boundary sliding contributes to the improvement in creep resistance. However, the creep rates of alumina composites in air increase at whisker contents ≥ 30 vol%. Electron microscopy observations suggested that the degradation in creep resistance for whisker content ≥ 30 vol% originated from (1) the promotion of creep cavitation and subsequent microcrack generation from the higher number density of nucleation sites and (2) more extensive formation of grain-boundary amorphous phase(s) associated with an observed increased oxidation rate. Along this one, the excellent creep resistance of alumina composites containing 20 vol% SiC whiskers was significantly degraded by the presence of the intergranular amorphous phases introduced by the addition of the Y₂O₃ densification additive.     

CaSO4晶须/聚氨酯弹性体复合材料性能的研究

笔者主要研究了CaSO4晶须对聚氨酯弹性体复合材料热性能和摩擦性能的影响。随Ca-SO4晶须含量的增加，复合材料的起始分解温度被提高，加入CaSO4晶须并未改变聚氨酯弹性体的化学结构，只是减慢了聚氨酯弹性体的热失重速率；随着CaSO4晶须含量的增加，聚氨酯弹性体复合材料的磨耗量降低。分析认为，加入CaSO4晶须后。阻止了聚氨酯弹性体结构的大面积破坏，改变了磨屑的形成机理，使其由纯聚氨酯的大的片状磨屑变为复合材料的小磨屑，从而降低了聚氨酯复合材料的磨损。