Fabrication and properties of laminated Al2O3/TiC composites

High solid content Al2O3–TiC slurries for tape casting were obtained by selecting the appropriate solvent, dispersant, binder, and other organic additives. Some factors which affected the viscosity of the slurries, such as the TiC:Al2O3 ratio, pH value and the dispersant concentration, were discussed. Al2O3–TiC laminated composites with weak interfaces can be obtained after laminating and stacking the tapes, binder removal and hot-pressing the green body. Compared with the monolithic composite, the crack propagation in the Al2O3–TiC laminated composites showed a large scale deflection and multi-fracture, which increased the work of fracture of the laminates significantly. The results showed that the laminated structure was an effective way to improve the fracture toughness and the work of fracture of the composites.