Strength Behavior of Polycrystalline Alumina Subjected to Thermal Shock

Theoretical predictions of crack propagation behavior in brittle solids under conditions of thermal shock were verified by water quenching of cylindrical polycrystalline alumina rods followed by strength testing. The calculated quenching temperature difference (Δ T O ) required to initiate thermal‐stress fracture agreed fairly well with experiment. When fracture was initiated, strength decreased catastrophically, in agreement with theory. An expression for the strength remaining after thermal stress fracture was derived in terms of the pertinent physical parameters. Values of surface fracture energy similar to those reported in the literature agreed with experiment. Strength after thermal shock was predicted to be inversely proportional to the 1/4 power of the rod diameter; this prediction was supported by experimental data for two rod sizes. Over a range of quenching temperature differences Δ T Δ T 0 strength remained constant, in agreement with the theoretical expectation that the newly formed cracks were subcritical. Only at the highest quenching temperature differences could further decreases in strength be observed; the quantitative changes, however, were masked by nonlinear deformation (evidenced by permanent crack opening). It was concluded that, although thermal shock behavior of brittle ceramics can be approximated fairly well, reliable quantitative estimates require considerably more information about strength and surface fracture energies as a function of environment, stress distribution, strain rate, and temperature and specimen size effects.