SiC_w/莫来石和SiC_w/Y-TZP/莫来石复合材料的力学性能与显微结构

以莫来石为基体,SiC晶须(SiC_w)和Y-TZP(Y_2O_3稳定的四方ZrO_2多晶)为两种补强剂,采用热压烧结工艺,制备SIC_w/莫来石和SIC_w/Y-TZP/英来石复合材料。研究了复合材料的力学性能与显微结构,并对强化增韧机制进行了分析。结果表明,SiC晶须补强莫来石,可以改善其强度和断裂韧性。若SiC晶须和Y-TZP共同补强英来石,则可以进一步提高其强度和断裂韧性。晶须引起裂纹偏转,晶须拔出以及由ZrO_2相变引起的微裂纹增韧是该复合材料的主要增韧机制。SiC晶须和Y-TZP两种补强剂的共同作用,对莫来石强度和断裂韧性的提高具有叠加或协同效应。     

Mechanical properties and microstructure for 3 mol% yttria doped zirconia/silicon carbide nanocomposites

3 Mol% yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (3Y-TZP) is well known as a transformation toughening material with excellent mechanical properties at ambient temperature. However, the properties of 3Y-TZP drop down with increasing temperature. In this study, nanocomposite techniques were applied in order to improve mechanical properties of 3Y-TZP. 3Y-TZP/SiC nanocomposites were fabricated by hot-pressing, and effects of SiC particles on microstructure, transformation from tetragonal zirconia (t-ZrO₂) to monoclinic ZrO₂ (m-ZrO₂) and its mechanical properties were investigated. Fracture toughness of the nanocomposite was improved without decrease of strength. This should be due to not only crack deflection by dispersed SiC particles with high Young's modulus, but also the phase transformation of t-ZrO₂ accelerated by the residual stresses from coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch between 3Y-TZP and SiC.     

High‐temperature fracture toughness of mullite with monoclinic zirconia

Reactive sintering of zircon and alumina and zirconia additions to mullite are well‐established methods for improving the poor fracture toughness of mullite. While it is clear that transformation toughening is responsible for the improved toughness by addition of partially stabilized zirconia, it is not clear why adding unstabilized zirconia increases the toughness although microcracking and crack deflection have been suggested. Therefore, the fracture toughness of a mullite composite with 20 vol% unstabilized zirconia and a monolithic mullite were investigated at ambient conditions and at temperatures up to 1225°C. It was found that monoclinic zirconia increases the toughness at ambient conditions from the monolithic mullite value of 1.9 to 3.9 MPa·m^1/2. The toughness of the composite with zirconia remains relatively constant from ambient to 600°C but then decreases rapidly. The mechanism for the toughness enhancement as well as the reason for its variation with temperature are explained using changes in residual stress state as deduced using the sphere in shell model from the measured thermal expansion behavior.     

Sliding Wear Behavior of ZTA with Different Yttria Stabilizer Content

In this study, tribological investigations were carried out on ZTA ceramics with 17 vol% Y‐TZP and different stabilizer contents (1, 1.5, and 2 mol% yttria) to analyze the influence of zirconia transformation on wear properties. Samples were tested in a linearly reciprocating ball on flat setup with different applied loads. Raising the fracture toughness by transformation toughening, microcracking, and residual stresses improves the wear resistance only at transition load but increases the wear at high loads. Higher yttria content of 2 mol% and lower zirconia grain size and thus low transformability, decreases fracture toughness but increases the wear resistance at high loads. Therefore the adjustment of stabilizer content on zirconia volume fraction in ZTA plays a decisive role in tribological applications.     

TiB2对无压烧结B4C–TiB2复相陶瓷结构和性能的影响

以碳化硼(B₄C)、二硼化钛(TiB₂)、碳化钛(TiC)为原料,采用无压烧结法在2 130℃制备了含20%(质量分数)和30%TiB₂的B₄C基复相陶瓷,分析所制样品的密度、硬度、弯曲强度和断裂韧性。结果表明:在2 130℃,直接加入30%的TiB₂亚微米颗粒,复相陶瓷的抗弯强度和断裂韧性分别达到277.6 MPa和5.38 MPa·m^1/2。陶瓷中颗粒拔出和裂纹微桥接对复相陶瓷增韧作用显著。B₄C–TiB₂复相陶瓷的增韧机理主要是由于TiB₂与B₄C热膨胀系数不匹配产生的残余应力导致的微裂纹增韧和裂纹偏转增韧。     

四方氧化锆陶瓷复合材料评述

四方氧化锆陶瓷（ＴＺＰ）通过相变增韧具有很高的强度和断裂韧性，但在中高温下由于相变增韧作用的逐渐消失，力学性能迅速下降。在ＴＺＰ基体中加入第二相粒子成为复合材料，是提高ＴＺＰ韧性和高温力学性能的有效方法。本文综述了晶须、颗粒和片晶增强ＴＺＰ复合材料的增韧机理、性能改善的效果、以及存在的问题，展望了今后的研究方向。     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti3SiC2/3Y-TZP composites by spark plasma sintering

Ti₃SiC₂/3Y-TZP (3 mol% Yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal) composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). The effect of Ti₃SiC₂ content on room-temperature mechanical properties and microstructures of the composites were investigated. The Vickers hardness and bending strength of the composites decreased with the increasing of Ti₃SiC₂ content whereas the fracture toughness increased. The maximum fracture toughness of 9.88 MPa m^1/2 was achieved for the composite with 50 vol.% Ti₃SiC₂. The improvement of the fracture toughness is owing to the crack deflection, crack bridging, the transformation toughening effects.     

Multilayered ceramic composites – a review

With the aim of improving the toughness of ceramic materials, laminated composites have been successfully developed since Clegg et al. (1990) inserted weak interfaces using very thin graphite layers between silicon carbide sheets and obtained a composite that exhibited non-catastrophic fracture characteristics. The weak interface must allow the crack to deviate either by deflection or delamination; in other words, the interface must exhibit a fracture resistance that is lower than that of the matrix layer. In parallel, ceramic laminated composites with strong interfaces were developed in which the residual tensile and compressive stresses appeared in alternate layers during cooling after sintering. These composites are prepared by stacking ceramic sheets produced by lamination or tape casting or by the sequential formation of layers by slip casting, centrifugation or electrophoretic deposition. The techniques may be combined to obtain a composite with the most adequate configuration. This work presents a review about the obtainment of multilayered ceramic composites as a toughening mechanism of ceramic plates.     

Hard and tough carbon nanotube-reinforced zirconia-toughened alumina composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

It is demonstrated that 0.1 wt% of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) or single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) added to zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) composites is enough to obtain high hardness and fracture toughness at indentation loads of 1, 5, and 10 kg. ZTA composites with 0.01 and 0.1 wt% of MWCNTs or SWCNTs were densified by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1520 °C resulting in a higher hardness and comparable fracture toughness to the ZTA matrix material. The observed toughening mechanisms include crack deflection, pullout of CNTs as well as bridged cracks leading to improved fracture toughness without evidence of transformation toughening of the ZrO₂ phase. Scanning electron microscopy showed that MWCNTs rupture by a sword-in-sheath mechanism in the tensile direction contributing to an additional increase in fracture toughness.     

Mechanical properties of zirconia composite ceramics

Composite materials based on 8 wt% yttria partially stabilized zirconia, with additions of gadolinium zirconate, lanthanum lithium hexaaluminate, yttrium aluminum garnet and strontium zirconate were characterized. Samples were fabricated by hot-press sintering at 1550 °C. The effect of the secondary phase content on the mechanical properties of the composites was evaluated. Hardness, elastic modulus and fracture toughness of the fabricated composites were determined by means of depth-sensitive indentation testing. The fracture toughness of the samples as determined by the indentation method was found to increase with increasing YSZ content, reaching 3 MPa·m^0.5 for samples with 80 wt% YSZ. The fracture toughness appeared to be affected by thermal expansion coefficient mismatch, crack bridging and crack deflection.     

Silicon Carbide Platelet/Alumina Composites: III, Toughening Mechanisms

This is the last part of a series of papers on the processing and fracture behavior of SiC-platelet/Al₂O₃ composites. The objective of this paper was to identify the mechanisms involved in the toughening process. A hot-pressed composite with a SiC volume fraction of 0.3 was chosen as the model system for study. Based on microstructural observations, crack deflection and grain bridging were both identified as possible toughening mechanisms and were further investigated. A Modified two-dimensional crack deflection model is presented to account for the anisotropic microstructure in hot-pressed platelet composites, in which preferred platelet orientation was present. Relative toughness values were predicted for two crack propagation directions assuming crack deflection is the toughening mechanism. Fracture toughness measurements for specific crack directions were made using a bridge indentation technique. The correlation of experimental results with theoretical predictions is discussed. To distinguish the effect of grain bridging from crack deflection, an in situ observation of crack growth was conducted. The results showed no distinct rising T -curve behavior for cracks in the size range 80 to 500 μ m. Measurement of fracture surface roughness was also made and the implications are discussed. The results indicate that crack deflection is the dominant toughening mechanism in the SiC-platelet/ Al₂O₃ composites studied herein.     

Effect of zirconia addition amount in glaze on mechanical properties of porcelain slabs

Applying toughened glaze layer on porcelain slabs can improve the fracture toughness of slabs and greatly reduce the production cost. In this study, porcelain slabs glaze with high toughness was fabricated by the processes of impregnation glazing and single firing method, using opaque frits, kaolin clay as the main raw materials, zirconia as an additive, and the effect of the addition amount of zirconia in glaze on fracture toughness of porcelain slabs was investigated. The results showed that the type and content of crystal phase of the glaze were greatly influenced by the addition amount of zirconia. Meanwhile, compared with the base glaze, the hardness and fracture toughness of the sample with zirconia glaze were significantly improved. Porcelain slabs with 10 wt% zirconia in glaze, sintering at 1200 °C, exhibited higher quality glaze and outstanding properties, including a water absorption of 1.95%, a Vickers hardness of 6.36 GPa, and a fracture toughness of 2.71 MPa m^1/2. The toughening mechanism of the glaze layer was as follows: a large number of zirconium silicate grains with high hardness were generated by the reaction of added zirconia with silica in the glass phase, which increased the content of crystal phase and then prevented the propagation of cracks; moreover during the martensitic transformation of the tetragonal zirconia grains, the volume and shear strain were generated to offset the stress field generated by the crack tip, thus toughening the material.     

Experimental Study of the Fracture Toughness of a Ceramic/Ceramic-Matrix Composite Sandwich Structure

A hybrid experimental–numerical approach has been used to measure the fracture resistance of a sandwich structure consisting of a 304 stainless steel/partially stabilized zirconia ceramic-matrix composite crack-arresting layer embedded in a partially stabilized zirconia ceramic specimen. The mode I fracture toughness increases significantly when the crack propagates from the ceramic into the ceramic-matrix composite region. The increased toughening due to the stainless steel particles is explained reasonably well by a toughening model based on processing-induced thermal residual stresses. In addition, several experimental modifications were made to the chevron-notch wedge-loaded double cantilever beam specimen to overcome numerous problems encountered in generating a precrack in the small, brittle specimens used in this study.     

Hard,tough and strong ZrO2–WC composites from nanosized powders

Yttria-stabilised zirconia (Y-TZP) based composites with a tungsten carbide (WC) content up to 50 vol.% were prepared from nanopowders by means of conventional hot pressing. The mechanical properties were investigated as a function of the WC content. The hardness increased from 12.3 GPa for pure Y-TZP up to 16.4 GPa for the composite with 50 vol.% WC, whereas the bending strength reached a maximum of 1551 MPa for the 20 vol.% WC composite. The toughness of the composites could be optimised by judicious adjustment of the overall yttria content by mixing monoclinic and 3 mol% Y₂O₃ co-precipitated ZrO₂ starting powders. An optimum fracture toughness of 9 MPa m^1/2 was obtained for a 40% WC composite with an overall yttria content of 2 mol%. The hardness, strength as well as fracture toughness of the ultrafine grained composites with a nanosized WC source was significantly higher than with micron-sized WC. The experimentally measured contribution of the different observed toughening mechanisms was evaluated as a function of the WC content. Transformation toughening was found to be the major toughening mechanism in ZrO₂–WC composites with up to 30 vol.% WC, whereas the contribution of crack deflection and bridging is significant at a secondary phase content above 30 vol.%.     

Toughening of Layered Ceramic Composites with Residual Surface Compression

Effects of macroscopic residual stresses on fracture toughness of multilayered ceramic laminates were studied analytically and experimentally. Stress intensities for edge cracks in three-layer, single-edge-notch-bend (SENB) specimens with stepwise varying residual stresses in the absence of the crack and superimposed bending were calculated as a function of the crack length by the method of weight function. The selected weight function and the method of calculation were validated by calculating stress intensities for edge cracks in SENB specimens without the residual stresses and obtaining agreement with the stress-intensity equation recommended in ASTM Standard E-399. The stress-intensity calculations for the three-layer laminates with the macroscopic residual stresses were used to define an apparent fracture toughness. The theoretical predictions of the apparent fracture toughness were verified by experiments on three-layer SENB specimens of polycrystalline alumina with 15 vol% of unstabilized zirconia dispersed in the outer layers and 15 vol% of fully stabilized zirconia dispersed in the inner layer. A residual compression of ∼400 MPa developed in the outer layers by the constrained transformation of the unstabilized zirconia from the tetragonal to the monoclinic phase enhanced the apparent fracture toughness to values of 30 MPa^.m^1/2 in a system where the intrinsic fracture toughness was only 5 to 7 MPa^.m^1/2.     

Effect of the volume ratio of zirconia and alumina on the mechanical properties of fibrous zirconia/alumina bi-phase composites prepared by co-extrusion

Fibrous zirconia/alumina composites with different composition were fabricated by piston co-extrusion. After a 3rd extrusion step and sintering at 1600 °C, crack-free composites with a fibre width of 50 μm were obtained for all compositions. The effect of the volume ratio of secondary phase on the mechanical properties was investigated. The Young's modulus of the composites decreased linearly with increasing the zirconia content. The fracture toughness of the composites was improved by introducing fine second phase filaments into the matrix. The maximum fracture toughness of 6.2 MPa m^1/2 was attained in the 3rd co-extruded 47/53 vol% zirconia/alumina composite. The improvement in toughness was attributed to both “stress-induced” transformation of zirconia and a crack deflection mechanism due to thermal expansion mismatch between the two phases. Bending strength of the composites was almost the same as that of the monolithic alumina regardless of the composition.     

Investigation of Toughening and Resistance-Curve Behavior in Hybrid Molybdenum Disilicide

This paper presents the results of a study of the toughening and resistance-curve behavior in a hybrid molybdenum disilicide (MoSi₂) composite that has been reinforced with 2 mol% yttria partially stabilized zirconia particles (TZ-2Y) and niobium layers. Toughening and resistance-curve behavior occur as a result of the combined effects of crack bridging and transformation toughening. Crack-tip shielding that is due to large-scale crack bridging and transformation toughening also is modeled using micromechanics concepts. The models show that the overall crack-tip shielding from transformation toughening is very limited. However, large-scale bridging by the ductile niobium layers promotes significant levels of toughening and resistance-curve behavior.     

Influence of residual and bridging stresses on the R-curve behavior of Mo- and FeAl-toughened alumina

Alumina matrix was toughened using either metal molybdenum or intermetallic FeAl particles. Mo and FeAl dispersoids were chosen because they have different thermomechanical properties (i.e. Young's modulus, Poisson ratio, as well as thermal expansion coefficient), giving rise to different residual stresses in the matrix. The R-curve behavior of these composites was first studied by stable-crack propagation experiments as a function of the volume fraction of dispersoid. The optimum fraction for toughening was different in the two composites: 25 and 15 vol% addition led to maximum toughness in the Mo- and FeAl added composite, respectively. This difference was ascribed to residual stresses. Microscopic observation of the crack path revealed, in both composites, the systematic presence of dispersoids acting as bridging sites in the crack wake, but only a few of them were plastically stretched. Residual stresses in the Al₂O₃ matrix, after sintering and microscopic bridging tractions during crack propagation, were quantitatively assessed using microprobe fluorescence spectroscopy. Bridging microstresses were assessed in situ by a linear map along the crack profile, at the critical condition for fracture propagation. Experimentally collected residual stresses and bridging stresses were discussed to explain the different fracture behavior of the composites.     

Toughening of zirconia/alumina composites by the addition of graphene platelets

A study on graphene platelet/zirconia-toughened alumina (GPL/ZTA) composites was carried out to evaluate the potential of the new structural materials. GPL–ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ powders were obtained by ball milling of graphene platelets and alumina powders using yttria stabilized ZrO₂ balls. Samples were sintered at different temperatures using spark plasma sintering. Fracture toughness was determined by the single-edge notched beam method. The results show that the GPLs are uniformly distributed in the ceramic matrix and have survived high temperature sintering processes. Several sintering experiments were carried out. It is found that at 1550 °C, GPL/ZTA composites were obtained with nearly full density, maximum hardness and fracture toughness. A 40% increase in fracture toughness in the ZTA composite has been achieved by adding graphene platelets. The toughening mechanisms, such as pull out, bridging and crack deflection, were observed and are discussed.     

Effects of particulate metallic phase on microstructure and mechanical properties of carbide reinforced alumina ceramic tool materials

Alumina-based composite ceramic tool materials reinforced with carbide particles were fabricated by the hot-pressing technology. Choice of metallic phase added into the present composite ceramic was based on the distribution of residual stress in the composite. The effects of metallic phase on microstructure and mechanical properties of composites were investigated. The metallic phase could dramatically improve room temperature mechanical properties by refining microstructure, filling pores and enhancing interfacial bonding strength. However, it also led to sharp strength degradation at high temperature because the metallic phase was easier to be oxidized and get soft at high temperature in air. The effects of metallic phase on strengthening and toughening were discussed. The improved fracture toughness of composite with metallic phase was attributed to the lower residual tensile stress in the matrix and the interaction of more effective energy consuming mechanisms, such as crack bridged by particle, crack deflection and intragranular grain failure.