Abstract
Silicon carbide (SiC)-reinforced calcium (Ca)-α-sialon ceramic composites were synthesized using nano-sized precursors and spark plasma sintering at 1500 °C for 30 min by adding 10, 20 and 30 wt % of SiC particles into the sialon matrix. Almost complete densification was achieved for all processed samples. The second-phase SiC particles were found to be homogeneously dispersed in the α-sialon matrix. The effect of the amount of loaded SiC on the mechanical properties of the ceramic composites was studied. A remarkable combination of hardness and toughness values, specifically 24.53 GPa (HV10) and 11.0 MPa m1/2, respectively, was obtained for the composite ceramic containing 30 wt% SiC, whereas hardness and fracture toughness values of only 21.1 GPa (HV10) and 7.3 MPa m1/2, respectively, were obtained for the monolithic α-sialon ceramic. The increase in fracture toughness was fairly attributed to the crack deflection, crack bridging and grain pullout mechanisms caused by the finely dispersed SiC particles.
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