Homogeneous Fabrication of Al ₂ O ₃ –ZrO ₂ –SiC Whisker Composite by Surface‐Induced Coating

Al 2 O 3 –ZrO 2 –SiC whisker composites were prepared by surface‐induced coating of the precursor for the ZrO 2 phase on the kinetically stable colloid particles of Al 2 O 3 and SiC whisker. The fabricated composites were characterized by a uniform spatial distribution of ZrO 2 and SiC whisker phases throughout the Al 2 O 3 matrix. The fracture toughness values of the Al 2 O 3 –15 vol% ZrO 2 –20 vol% SiC whisker composites (∼12 MPa.m 1/2 ) are substantially greater than those of comparable Al 2 O 3 –SiC whisker composites, indicating that both the toughening resulting from the process zone mechanism and that caused by the reinforced SiC whiskers work simultaneously in hot‐pressed composites.