ABSTRACT
The flaw sensitivity and the low fracture toughness of typical ceramics provide a challenge to achieving reliability of these ceramics in structural applications. Major efforts have occurred since the late 1960s to improve reliability through the fabrication process by reducing the size of microstructural and surface flaws. Many examples were presented in prior chapters including use of ultrafine starting powders, improvements in particle packing during the consolidation process, and minimization of porosity through advanced sintering and HIP techniques. Additional major effort since the mid-1970s has been directed toward improving reliability by increasing the fracture toughness of ceramics to inhibit crack propagation. Substantial progress has been achieved with approaches such as self-reinforced microstructures, particle dispersions, whisker dispersions, transformation toughening, long-fiber reinforcement, ductile phase reinforcement, and prestressing.
