Diffraction Peak Broadening Studies in Al ₂ O ³ (Whisker) Composites

Abstract

Abstract Diffraction peak broadening analyses were carried out on diffraction profiles of several reflections from hot-pressed α -Al 2 O 3 containing 29, 18 and 10 volume % β -SiC whiskers. The data were analyzed and compared using four different integral breadth methods for microstrain and crystalline size. All four methods gave comparable results, within an order of magnitude, for the microstrains in each phase: (2-15 × 10 −4 for the matrix and (6-19 × 10 −4 for the whiskers). Microstrains in both matrix and whiskers decreased with decreasing volume % of whiskers for all four methods. Trends in the crystallite size were less consistent but for the matgrix, an incrfease from ∼665 to 1565Å was found with decreasing whisker content using DeKeijser's method.