Laminated ZrB2-SiC ceramic with improved strength and toughness

Laminated ZrB2-SiC ceramic was successfully prepared and layers with different SIC content were stacked in order to develop a specific residual stress profile. The flexural strength and fracture toughness of the laminated ZrB2-SiC ceramic were 960 +/- 84 MPa and 8.8 +/- 0.3 MPa m(1/2) respectively, which were much higher values than those of monolithic ZrB2-SiC ceramics. The significant improvement in mechanical properties was attributed to the presence of residual compressive stresses arising from a mismatch in the thermal coefficient of expansion between the adjacent layers. (C) 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.