Ceramic matrix composites with particulate reinforcements—Progress over the past 15 years

Abstract

Ceramic matrix composites with particulate reinforcements have been studied for decades due to their potential to replace conventional materials with superior characteristics (i.e., high stiffness, strength, fracture toughness, flexural strength, thermal resistance, hardness, and wear resistance). Such properties have made particle-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (PCMCs) appealing for various applications in the aerospace, automotive, energy, and electronics industries. However, extensive research to improve the properties and characteristics of PCMCs to ensure their wider application has been limited to this date. Therefore, this study explores the development of these composites in recent years, considering various aspects such as the evolution and limitations of manufacturing techniques, changes in properties, and the use of modern tools for material characterization. The study reveals that despite having various fabrication methods available, spark plasma sintering has been widely used to manufacture the PCMCs using the alumina-based matrix reinforced with metallic and ceramic particles. Incorporating reinforcing particles enhances the hardness, bending strength, and tribological properties of alumina-based ceramics. Brittleness is the main obstacle for ceramic materials to be considered for any load-carrying applications, which can be mitigated by using particulate reinforcements, such as graphene, that can improve the fracture toughness of alumina-based ceramics. Although PCMCs can have a slightly lower friction coefficient than the base ceramic, the wear rate and wear volume remain lower than those of ceramic materials. The study also discusses the progress in numerical analysis with the Voronoi method and finite element analysis using modeling and simulation software (e.g., ANSYS, Abaqus Unified FEA, and COMSOL Multiphysics), which can be used as a modern characterization tool for PCMCs. Furthermore, the study provides prospects, challenges, and future directions for particulate-ceramic composites. Lastly, the study summarizes the overall progress of PCMCs in recent years with concluding remarks.