SEDL / STP / STP1409-EB / STP10474S

The Fracture Toughness Round Robins in VAMAS: What We Have Learned

Quinn, GD
Staff Scientist, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD

Pages: 20    Published: Jan 2002

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Abstract

Over the last 13 years the Versailles project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS) has conducted five full fledged, international round robins on ceramic fracture toughness characterization. As many as forty laboratories have done thousands of experiments on silicon nitride, silicon carbide, zirconia, alumina, zirconiaalumina composite, and whisker-reinforced alumina. Test methods have included singleedged precracked beam, single-edged V-notched beam, chevron-notched beam, surface crack in flexure, indentation strength, and indentation crack length. Highlights of these projects are presented along with some lessons learned about round robins in general.