Ceramic composites
Roman Pampuch Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza, Wydział Inżynierii Materiałowej, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków
Annals 2 No. 3, 2002 pages 3-15
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abstract The paper is a review of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) of various types, considered as a combination of two or more phases in the form of grains, layers, and fibres, which dimensions range from nanometers to micrometers. The author gives a general description of problems in the area of these composites followed by a more detailed discussion concerning the investigation range of his direct interest. The paper presents four types of ceramic composites. The grain composites schematically shown in Figure 2 consist of the brittle ceramic matrix with dispersed grains of the second ceramic phase, also brittle, of dimensions varying from nanometers to micrometers, and are obtained by typical technological process (Fig. 3). CMC reinforced with fibres are described mainly as materials in which both the matrix and the reinforcing fibres are ceramic, e.g. carbon-carbon fibres or silicon carbide-silicon carbide fibres (Fig. 13). Laminates are considered as materials composed of ceramic layers of various properties and thickness (from nanometers to millimeters). Cracking of laminates has been dealt with (Fig. 20) for the case of strong brittle layers (e.g. SiC) separated with the less rigid material (graphite). The last group of the presented materials are composites based on zirconium oxide, among which the standard ones are Al2O3-ZrO2 grain composites.