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Outline
Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Week Topic
1 Introduction

MSE 351 2-3

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Crystal structures of ceramics
Defects in ceramics
Engineering Ceramics I 5-6 Mechanical properties of ceramics
7 Mid-semester exams
Ing. Anthony Andrews (PhD) 8 Ceramic phase diagrams
9-10 Refractories
Department of Materials Engineering
Faculty of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering 11-12 Ceramic processing
College of Engineering
Website: www.anthonydrews.wordpress.com www.knust.edu.gh

Mechanical Properties of Ceramics Brittle Fracture of Ceramics

• Very brittle in tension • At room T, both crystalline and amorphous ceramics
– brittle fracture – limited energy absorption fracture before plastic deformation occurs

• Stronger in compression than in tension

• Limited load carrying capacity

• Strength strongly dependent on the processing

– Flaws limit strength

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Brittle Fracture of Ceramics Strength Limitations in Ceramics

• The process consists of the formation and propagation of
cracks through the cross section of material in a direction • Brittle ceramic strength is lower than expected
perpendicular to the applied load – Theoretical Strength: (e.g., TS = 6000 MPa)
– Observed Strength: (e.g., TS = 0.10 to 0.001 of theoretical)
• Fracture is usually transgranular rather than intergranular
• Why the big difference??
• Cracks often grow along high density crystallographic (or
cleavage) planes

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Brittle Fracture Strength of Ceramics

• Griffith – 1920’s proposed fine elliptical flaws exist that
• Short range deformation mechanism concentrate stress

GRIFFITH-OROWAN Theory
• Flaws are stress concentrators (e.g., pores) and form
cracks
• Fracture occurs in sequential steps
• Crack tips move at low stresses
• Crack tip radius of curvature is atomic size • Flaws behave as stress magnifiers
• Applied stress may be fairly low, but effective local stress is
very HIGH
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Crack Initiation Crack Propagation

Crack Generation (in tension): Crack Propagation:
• Cracks are always perpendicular to the applied stress • Tensile stresses tend to propagate crack tip
• Pores are most detrimental under tensile stress (not compression)
• Water or other observed liquids tend to open crack tip
• Water tends to propagate existing cracks in most materials

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Crack Management Principles of Fracture Mechanics

1. Crack Prevention: • Fracture toughness – measure of a ceramic material’s ability to
– Eliminate internal defects (e.g., eliminate pores). resist fracture when a crack is present
– Eliminate surface defects.
– Eliminate design feature that concentrate stress (e.g., sharp corner). • Plane strain fracture toughness KIc, is defined according to the
– Prevent tensile stresses. expression

2. Crack Slowing or Stopping Mechanisms: 𝐾𝐼𝐶 = 𝑌𝜎𝑓 𝜋𝑎

– Design material to be only under compressive stress.
– Pre-stress material in compression to cancel early tensile stresses KIC = plane strain fracture toughness (MPa√m)
– Add crystalline phases that are stronger and slow or stop cracks. Y = geometric constant (usually ~1)
– Add crystalline phases that make path more tortuous. a = length of external crack or half the length of internal one
– Add phases that interact with cracks and compress the tip σ = applied stress

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Fracture Toughness Modulus of Rupture (MOR)

• Brittle ceramic materials are usually tested in bending
Problem – Sample preparation is easier
A reaction-bonded silicon nitride has a strength of 300 – Significant difference in results for testing in tension,
MPa and a fracture toughness of 3.6 MPa.m1/2. What is the compression and bending
largest-size internal crack that this material can support
without fracturing? Given Y = 1

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Modulus of Rupture (MOR) Testing Factors affecting strength of ceramics

• Depending on the amount of defects => giving stress concentration
• MOR is calculated as the “maximum fiber stress” on the
tension side at failure (strength parameter)
• All brittle materials contain a
certain population of small cracks
with different
• sizes, orientations geometries

For a rectangular cross-section: For a circular cross-section:

𝐹𝐿
3𝐹𝐿 𝜎= 3
𝜎= 𝜋𝑟
2𝑏ℎ2 12𝑥𝑟
𝜀= 2
𝐿
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Mechanical properties versus Mechanical properties versus

degree of crystallinity degree of crystallinity
• Crystalline phases are stronger.
• At low T’s, crystalline and non-crystalline phases are
brittle.
• At high T’s approaching Tm, non-crystalline phases are
ductile.

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Mechanical properties versus Effect of Porosity on Mechanical

degree of crystallinity Properties

• Many ceramic materials are manufactured in the solid

state because of their high melting points

• They are milled into powder

• Then sintered at HT to allow particles to bond together

• They then contain free space: porosity

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𝑬 = 𝑬𝟎 (𝟏 − 𝟏. 𝟗𝑷 + 𝟎. 𝟗𝑷𝟐)

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10 vol% porosity decreases
the flexural strength by 50%
𝜎𝑓𝑠 = 𝜎0 exp(−𝑛𝑃)
Hardness of Ceramics
• Hard and brittle
• Hardness measured using Vickers or Knoop methods
• Hardness decreases with increasing load
• Used as cutting, grinding and polishing tools
• Examples: Al2O3, SiC, Ti3N4, BN, WC

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