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Spherical‐Impact Damage and Strength Degradation in Silicon Carbide Whisker/Silicon Nitride Composites
Author(s) -
Akimune Yoshio,
Katano Yasushi,
Matoba Kazuo
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1151-2916.1989.tb06219.x
Subject(s) - whisker , materials science , composite material , silicon carbide , whiskers , fracture toughness , silicon nitride , elastic modulus , ceramic , toughness , indentation , layer (electronics)
The silicon carbide (SiC) whisker reinforcement of silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) improves fracture strength and toughness, hardness, and Young's modulus, resulting in higher resistance of the composites to sphere penetration and crack initiation at spherical impact. Sintered Si 3 N 4 shows an elastic/plastic response and initiates median/radial cracks at 100 m/s impact velocity. SiC‐whisker/Si 3 N 4 composites, on the other hand, demonstrate an elastic response, with Hertzian cone crack initiation, only when impact velocity exceeds 280 m/s. The SiC‐whisker/Si 3 N 4 composites thus exhibit improved strength degradation versus critical impact velocity characteristics because of improved mechanical properties provided by the SiC whiskers.