FORMING TOUGH, SINGLE-PHASE LAMINATES OF FE2TIO5 VIA MAGNETIC-ASSISTED GELCASTING

Single phase laminates of iron titanate were formed by gelcasting both in the presence and absence of a magnetic field to produce alternatin g layers of textured and non-textured microstructure, respectively. X- ray analysis was performed on each lamina verifying that alignment was maintained throughout processing. Toughness of trilayer laminates (no n-textured/textured/non-textured) were measured using a modified versi on of the short double cantilever beam geometry. Toughness experiments resulted in large scale crack deflection of several hundred microns. Peak toughnesses were measured to be well over 8 MPa.m(1/2) which is a substantial improvement over monolithic iron titanate.