Abstract
The effects of β‐SiC whisker addition on the microstructural evolution and fracture toughness (KIC) of hot‐pressed SiC were investigated. Most of the whiskers added disappeared during the densifcation process by transformation into the α‐phase. The remaining whiskers acted as nuclei for grain growth, resulting in the formation of large tabular grains around the whiskers. The tabular grains around the whiskers were believed to be formed because of the extreme anisotropy of the interfacial energy between α‐ and β‐SiC. The KIC of the material was improved significantly by the whisker addition. The increase in the KIC was attributed to crack bridging followed by grain pullout as a result of the formation of tabular grains in a fine matrix.
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