Nature Communications (Jul 2017)

In situ stable crack growth at the micron scale

  • Giorgio Sernicola,
  • Tommaso Giovannini,
  • Punit Patel,
  • James R. Kermode,
  • Daniel S. Balint,
  • T. Ben Britton,
  • Finn Giuliani

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00139-w
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 9

Abstract

Read online

To improve mechanical properties in ceramics through grain boundary engineering, precise mechanical characterization of individual boundaries is vital yet difficult to achieve. Here authors perform experiments using an in situ scanning electron microscopy based double cantilever beam test, allowing to directly view and measure stable crack growth in silicon carbide.