Abstract

Monolithic ceramic materials such as SiC, Si₃N₄, Al₂O₃, and ceramic-ceramic composite materials such as SiC-reinforced Al₂O₃, SiC-SiC, and SiC-reinforced glass are emerging as important engineering structural materials. A major problem with using ceramic materials in engineering structures is the lack of reliability. The low reliability is caused by unreliable mechanical properties which are usually caused by internal flaws such as cracks and pore clusters in monolithic materials and clustering of whiskers and whisker stratification in composite materials. Design methodology with brittle solids is in its infancy and nondestructive examination methods which can be used to detect the load limiting flaws are necessary before the ceramic materials can be reliably used.

© 1984 Optical Society of America