The thermal shock behavior of alumina-copper composite

It has been known for many years that the incorporation of metallic particu lates into a ceramic matrix can bring about improvement on ceramic mechanic al properties, but little is known how the addition of metallic particles i nto a ceramic base affects the thermal shock resistance of this sort of mat erial. The present work is concerned with the thermal shock behavior of an alumina base ceramic matrix composite containing 5vol% of copper particles. The composite, hot-pressed at 1550 degreesC, exhibited increased thermal c onductivity, enhanced toughness, decreased modulus and higher resistance to thermal shock compared with monolithic alumina. Some mechanical and therma l properties relevant to thermal shock are discussed which give plausible e xplanations for the differences between the composite and the monolith. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.