Fracture energy of glass-alumina interfaces via the bimaterial bend test

The fracture energies of glass-alumina interfaces mere measured using the bimaterial bend test. These experiments comprise one of the few studies in which the bimaterial bend test has been applied to an all-ceramic materials system. The experiment was used to evaluate the effect of materials purity, processing and environmental conditions on the interface toughness, Changes in interface fracture energy were measured as a function of glass content, interface roughness, phase angle, and testing atmosphere. Alumina glass content and testing atmosphere had the greatest effect on the interface toughness and the overall mechanical behavior of the composite, The effect of phase angle of loading on the interface fracture energy was assessed over several degrees by varying the relative heights of the two layers. The results from these interface fracture experiments offer insight into the fracture behavior of multiphase and composite ceramics where deflection of cracks at bimaterial interfaces is an important concern.