Morphology Control in Ceramics - The Design of Unique Brick-like Grain Shapes in Carbide Materials
Abstract
Accelerated development of next generation composite materials for aerospace applications requires, in addition to control of composition and feature size, precise control of geometry. With this in mind, the goal of this project is to advance the discovery of ceramic materials of unique tiled architectures. We are motivated by progress in materials science that has transitioned from initial and limited control of composition a few decades ago, to the current control of composition and feature sizes at the micro- and nano-scales, and propose that the next paradigm for the development of advanced ceramic materials requires precise control of shape. We propose to develop a new class of ceramics of controlled architectures, based on ultrahigh temperature TaC, HfC, and ZrC composites. These materials are of interest for a variety of applications. For example, we hypothesize that controlled architectures enhance creep resistance because of the mechanical interlocking of the grains within the material—an effect which has been studied in textured architectures of metallic materials, but has never been explored in ceramics due to difficulties in manufacturing. They cannot be extruded, for example, which is the common method used for producing textured metal alloys. In advancing this concept, this will be the first study to explore and manufacture bulk ceramics of unique architectures allowing comparisons between tiled carbide systems and currently available spheroidal morphologies. This opens the door to the concept of tailored morphology-controlled properties for many other ceramic systems, including oxides and borides, among others.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 21, 2022
- Source ID
- FA95502110061XX0
Entities
People
- Olivia A Graeve
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of California, San Diego