Abstract Objectives To overcome the intrinsic brittleness and the mutual restriction between strength and toughness of boron carbide (B4C) ceramics, this study proposes a bio-inspired toughening strategy utilizing a whisker-reinforced lamellar structure. Methods B4C-SiCw/Al co-continuous composites with varying silicon carbide whisker (SiCw) contents (0, 2, 5, and 10 wt.%) were prepared via freeze casting combined with 7075 aluminum alloy squeeze infiltration. Results Microstructural analysis indicates that SiCw effectively optimized the ceramic skeleton through a synergistic mechanism of “whisker-reinforced lamellar walls” and “inter-lamellar whisker bridging.” Among them, the composite with 5 wt.% SiCw exhibited the most uniform structure and superior mechanical properties, with a longitudinal (parallel to the freezing direction) flexural strength reaching 1079.46 MPa and a fracture toughness of 22.93 MPa·m1/2, representing improvements of 24.48% and 37.5%, respectively, compared to the unreinforced sample1. These performance enhancements are attributed to multiple energy dissipation mechanisms, such as crack deflection, whisker bridging, and pull-out. Furthermore, tribological studies show that the 5 wt.% SiCw composite possesses the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate, benefiting from the formation of a continuous and stable transfer film that effectively inhibits adhesive and abrasive wear. Conclusion This work establishes an effective pathway for developing high-performance, high-damage-tolerance B4C-based composites for advanced protective applications.
Dong et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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