MICROSTRUCTURE AND FRACTURE FEATURE OF ZTA-SiC_W COMPOSITE

A ZTA-SiC_W ceramic composite of room temperature strength 935—1110 MPa and frac-ture toughness 9.7MPa·m~(1/2) was prepared using the sol-gel proeess.Its microstructure andfracture feature have been examined by means of X-ray diffraction analysis and electron mi-croscope observations.The results show that the whiskers are well dispersed and the matrixhas an obvious texture character.Between the whisker and matrix,there is a great number oftranscrystalline and transcrystalline connective relation other than part of conventionalpolycrystalline connective ones.Certain secondary cracks closely related with local whiskergroup are found on the fracture surface.It may be a new reinforcing and toughening mecha-nism by whisker group,of which the whiskers in the local whisker group arrest synergeticallythe crack propagation accompaning with the formation of secondary cracks.