V.M.

Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

Structural ceramics
Mechanical properties!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

Flexural strength!

alumina

liquid phase sintering (SiO2) (purity 80-99%) solid state sintering (purity 99-100%) hot-pressing

influence of grain size

f =

KIC c

KIC $ G

Mechanical properties of ceramics, J. B. Watchman, J. Wiley & sons, 1996!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

alumina at high temperature

glassy phase softening, creep, plastic deformation

Mechanical properties of ceramics, J. B. Watchman, J. Wiley & sons, 1996!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

flexural strength

silicon nitride! silicon carbide! alumina!

silicon nitride

liquid phase sintering (SiO2, Y2O3, Al2O3 ) (purity 90-99%) - SSN hot-pressing (purity 99-100%) - HPSN reaction bonding (Si + NH3) - RBSN

400

800

T (C)

1200

1600

maximum temperature for structural uses

T (C) Si3N4 reaction bonded sintered hot pressed reaction bonded sintered hot pressed 99% 90% 1300 900 1200 1300 1200 1400 1200 800

liquid phase sintering (SiO2, Al2O3 ) (purity 90-99%) - SSC hot-pressing (purity 99-100%) - HPSC reaction bonding (Si + CO / C +Si) - RBSC

SiC

silicon carbide

Al2O3

Ceramics and Glasses, Engineered Materials Handbook, vol. 4, ASM international, USA, 2000!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

Reaction bonding!
preform (Si powder)

Si3N4 (RBSN) NH3 T 1400C

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

preform (Si powder)

SiC (RBSC) CO T 1400C

preform (C powder)

T 1500C SiC (RBSC)

liquid Si

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

Toughening mechanisms
E (10 GPa) 10 Ceramic materials:! E mechanical strength << (100 MPa) 10 absence of plastic deformations at the crack tip KC o GC limited!
theoretical strength
defects (c)

fabrication and nishing!

mechanical strength K f = IC c

microstructure (KIC)

material and processing!

interaction between defects and microstructure!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

Toughening mechanical strength

KC constant!

f2

KC increasing with c !

f1

f

KC (c)

KC2 KC1

stable growth!

f1

c00.5 c0.5 c00.5 c0.5

f depending on c

f independent from c

R- or T-curve effect

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

Thoughening mechanisms
(a) process zone (frontal wake)
weakening of the material in front of the crack tip
s volume fraction of toughening agent dislocations grain interlocking

(a)

(b)

sC

G C 2 C T h
eT e microcracks

fibres

(b) bridging zone (bridged interface)

crack closure stress (t)
phase transformation whiskers

G C 2 t(u)du
0 surface fraction of the bridges ductile particles ductile particles

u*

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

Process zone mechanisms

Transformation toughening !
zirconia (ZrO2)
temperature

allotropic phases: cubic (c), tetragonal (t), monoclinic (m)

martensitic trasformation (MS 1200C - 600C) V 4%, ij 1-7% MS decreases with: presence of stabilizing oxides (MgO, CaO, Y2O3, CeO2) (grain size)-1 compression stresses (matrix)

t phase metastable at room T!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

System ZrO2 - Y2O3

partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) (t in c, g 30 - 60 m)

tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (TZP) (only t, g 0.5 - 2 m)

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

Thoughening mechanism

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

asymptotic increment of fracture toughness:

E KC = 0.22 T h 1
**
fraction of grains t

Typical systems (Kc 20 MPa m0.5):! partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ)! zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA)!

Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 1990!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

Bridging mechanisms
1. Bridging with ductile particles!

asymptotic increment of fracture toughness:

y y KC = C R
yielding particles radius

Sistems:! alumina with Ni or Al particles (Kc 25 MPa m0.5)!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

2. Bridging with bres or whiskers!

weak interface (i<f) limited friction coefficient

strong interface (i>f) high friction coefficient

Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 1990!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

matrix: alumina fibres: alumina-mullite interfacce: monazite (LaPO4)

matrix: SiC fibres: SiC interface: porous SiC

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

matrix: C fibres: SiC interface: C

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

asymptotic increment of fracture toughness: (for long fibres)

fibres strength interface fracture toughness friction between fibre-matrix

' 2 GC = d ) f E T ) (E

( )

2 * 4 i , 2 hp + R R 1 , +

pull-out length

differential thermal deformation

fibre radius

Sistems:! alumina with SiC whiskers (Kc 9 MPa m0.5)! silicon nitride with SiC whiskers (Kc 11 MPa m0.5)! SiC-SiCf or C-SiCf composites (Kc 30 MPa m0.5)!

V.M. Sglavo CerSciTech - UNITN 2011

3. Bridging grains!

requirement: intergranular fracture

grain boundary friction

Sistems:! alumina (Kc 8 MPa m0.5)! silicon nitride (Kc 10 MPa m0.5)! silicon carbide (Kc 8 MPa m0.5)!

KC > 0 (200 - 300%) KC =

E 2 w ar2 6(1 2 )

volumetric fraction of effective grains

Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 1990!

geometric factor of effective grains

length of effective grains