Abstract
The ceramic composite materials dispersed with metal particles demonstrates the bridging effect during the fracture. In order to evaluate the effect of the alumina reinforced with small or large stainless-steel (SUS316L) particles, crack opening displacement (COD) was measured in situ in the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The COD profile of the composite with a small stainless-steel particle did not exhibit noticeable crack-face interaction. For the composite with a large stainless-steel particle, on the other hand, the shielding effect was recognized in the range from a crack tip to 600μm.
