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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Development of toughened ceramics for elevated temperatures

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5407439

The fracture toughness of ceramics can be substantially increased by crack bridging mechanisms introduced by discontinuous reinforcing phases. Examples of the toughening achieved by various discontinuous reinforcing phases (e.g., whiskers, matrix grains) are used to illustrate the effects on the material properties. The critical material parameters are defined by the analysis of crack bridging contributions due to elastically and frictionally bridging reinforcements and pullout processes. In addition for many of these ceramics and composites, the mechanical properties appear to be retained with increase in temperature. The key issue in their use at elevated temperatures is their creep resistance. Results of creep studies reveal that changes in the material characteristics can be used to further improve the creep resistance of these materials. These findings can then be incorporated into the design of toughened ceramics for elevated temperature applications. 28 refs., 5 figs.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
5407439
Report Number(s):
CONF-911084-1; ON: DE91015923
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English