Preparation and mechanical properties of in situ growth TiC whiskers toughening Al2O3 ceramic matrix composite

An in situ growth TiC whiskers toughening Al2O3 ceramic matrix composite has been prepared based on a carbothermal reduction process by two separate steps such as in situ synthesizing of the TiC whiskers in alumina matrix powder and hot pressed sintering of the composite, respectively. The TiC content in the composite is 40% in terms of volume. The experimental results show that the composite is with a flexural strength of 780.9 MPa and a fracture toughness of 7.27 MPa m1/2 and such a preparation and fabrication process for in situ growth whiskers toughened ceramics can greatly improve the mechanical property of Al2O3 matrix composite.