ENHANCED FRACTURE-TOUGHNESS IN LAYERED MICROCOMPOSITES OF CE-ZRO2 AND AL2O3

Laminar composites, containing layers of Ce-ZrO2 and either Al2O3 or a mixture of Al2O3 and Ce-ZrO2, have been fabricated using a colloidal method that allowed formation of layers with thicknesses as small as 10-mu-m. Strong interactions between these layers and the martensitic transformation zones surrounding cracks and indentations have been observed. In both cases, the transformation zones spread along the region adjacent to the layer, resulting in an increased fracture toughness. The enhanced fracture toughness was observed for cracks growing parallel to the layers as well as for those that were oriented normal to the layers.