Fabrication and Mechanical Properties of Novel Alumina-Silica Fiber-Reinforced Silica Oxide Ceramic Matrix Composites
摘要
In this paper, novel alumina-quartz fiber-reinforced silica oxide ceramic matrix composite (ASSC) was prepared via the sol–gel method. The XRD, microstructure, flexural properties, and fracture morphology of the prepared composites were investigated, and the flexural property regulation mechanism was obtained. Results showed that the SiO2 matrix was fully dispersed in the hybrid fibers. ASSC exhibited excellent densification, with good bonding between the alumina fibers and the matrix, and even stronger bonding between the quartz fibers and the matrix. The weft-direction flexural strength of ASSC was 122 MPa, while the warp-direction flexural strength was 88 MPa. Both the warp and weft directions exhibited ductile fracture, but the toughness in the weft direction was higher than that in the warp direction. During the fracture process of ASSC, the synergistic effect of the “bundle + individual” pulling-out mode not only ensured the overall strength of the composites but also improved toughness through multi-scale energy dissipation. Furthermore, the damage factors in the warp and weft directions were studied, and the damage failure mechanism and failure process were established, which provided certain guidance for the performance optimization and practical application of the composites. The flexural damage failure process of the warp-direction sample manifested as three stages: “undamaged stage, nonlinear damage accumulation stage, and damage acceleration stage.” Benefiting from the higher strength, the weft-direction sample experienced an additional quasi-elastic stage. In this study, an innovative hybrid fiber reinforcement strategy was adopted to achieve a synergistic optimization effect.