Processing and Ballistic Performance of Al2O3/TiB2 Composites

摘要

Early research on Al2O3/TiB2 composites focused on exploiting their potential as a low-cost armor ceramic. Limited ballistic data indicated that the microstructure had a dramatic effect on ballistic performance. In some cases, the penetration resistance of Al2O3/TiB2 approached that of monolithic TiB2 ceramics. However, challenges were encountered both in quantifying the microstructural details and fabricating the desired microstructure. The large spread in depth of penetration results for these ceramics, coupled with an insufficient number of samples tested, led to some confusion in accessing the effect microstructure had on the ballistic performance. Our research focused on microstructure control during fabrication and a more thorough ballistic evaluation to correlate microstructure with penetration resistance. Composites were made from mixed Al2O3 and TiB2 powders. The composites, prepared with dramatically different microstructures, had similar ballistic performance. Results show that the penetration resistance of Al2O3/TiB2 composites is not as good as a hot-pressed silicon carbide.