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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/K61548/01
Title: THE INFLUENCE OF RESIDUAL STRESSES ON THE PROPERTIES OF CERAMIC NANOCOMPOSITES
Principal Investigator: Todd, Professor RI
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Dynamic-Ceramic Ltd
Department: Manchester Materials Science Centre
Organisation: Victoria University of Manchester, The
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 March 1996 Ends: 28 February 1999 Value (£): 155,550
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Materials Characterisation
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Aerospace, Defence and Marine Construction
Transport Systems and Vehicles
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The mechanical properties of alumina/SiC nanocomposites are dominated by a reduction in the propensity for intergranular fracture compared with unreinforced alumina, and this gives rise to significant improvements in the strength and wear resistance. Their development is currently hindered by a lack of understanding of these effects. This proposal stems from preliminary results which show that although the presence of SiC nanoparticles leads to thermal expansion mismatch stresses during cooling form processing temperatures, at the same time the thermal expansion anisotropy of the alumina matrix is effectively reduced, leading to a reduction in the residual stresses form this source. This novel observation provides a simple explanation for the fracture behaviour, and the proposed experiments are designed to test this idea by producing specimens with systematic variations in processing and microstructure, measuring their residual stresses using neutron diffraction, and correlation the results with the measured strengths and wear resistances. The results of the research would be beneficial to the scientific understanding and commercial exploitation of these new materials, which have great commercial potential.
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