Fracture of Cr2O3 single crystals on the microscale
Journal article, 2021

Studying cleavage properties of protective oxide scales is imperative to understand their fracture behaviour, since transgranular fracture is observed in many cases. The small thickness and polycrystalline structure of such scales makes it difficult to identify active cleavage planes directly from mechanical testing. To resolve this issue for Cr2O3, we present an approach to experimentally identify cleavage planes through micro-cantilever bending. Single crystal wafers are used to prepare micro-cantilevers of pentagonal cross-section in different orientations, targeting possible cleavage planes. Fracture surface imaging showed rhombohedral and pyramidal fracture, though surface energy studies predict rhombohedral as the dominant plane. There does exist a preference for rhombohedral fracture over pyramidal, which is also revealed from the experiments.

Micromechanics

fracture behavior

chromia

Ceramics

electron microscopy

single crystal

Author

Anand Harihara Subramonia Iyer

Chalmers, Physics, Microstructure Physics

Krystyna Marta Stiller

Chalmers, Physics, Microstructure Physics

Magnus Hörnqvist Colliander

Chalmers, Physics, Microstructure Physics

Materialia

25891529 (eISSN)

Vol. 15 100961

In-situ micromechanical testing of interfaces for multiscale modeling of fracture

Swedish Research Council (VR) (2015-04719), 2016-01-01 -- 2019-12-31.

Subject Categories

Applied Mechanics

Ceramics

Other Materials Engineering

Infrastructure

Chalmers Materials Analysis Laboratory

Areas of Advance

Materials Science

DOI

10.1016/j.mtla.2020.100961

More information

Latest update

1/3/2024 9