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Optical and Mechanical Properties of α/β Composite Sialons
Author(s) -
Jones Mark I.,
Hyuga Hideki,
Hirao Kiyoshi
Publication year - 2003
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.1151-2916.2003.tb03333.x
Subject(s) - materials science , fracture toughness , composite number , composite material , microstructure , sialon , optical transparency , phase (matter) , flexural strength , toughness , ceramic , optoelectronics , chemistry , organic chemistry
Two‐phase α/β composites have been produced with a combination of high hardness, fracture toughness, and strength. Compared with a single‐phase α‐sialon, the composite showed around a twofold increase in both fracture toughness and bending strength, with only minimal reduction in hardness. Despite being a two‐phase material, the optical properties of the composite were very good, showing transparency in sections of around 0.5 mm thickness. The optical properties were in fact better for the composite than for the single‐phase α‐sialon. Work to date on transparent sialons has focused on single‐phase α‐materials, which have inherently low fracture toughness unless elongated microstructures are developed. However, this microstructural development appears to adversely affect optical transparency. In this work it has been shown that good combination of mechanical properties can be achieved while maintaining optical transparency in two‐phase composite sialons. The development of such materials should widen their range of application.