Oxide Fiber Reinforced Glass: a Challenge to New Composites

The brittle nature and low fracture resistance of glass and ceramic materials limit their use in engineering applications. To achieve a tougher glass material, oxide fiber reinforced glass composites were synthesized by slurry infiltration and hot-pressing. Significant increases in bending strength and work-of-fracture have been noticed for fiber reinforced glass matrix composites with carbon coated fibers. These effects are related to the low bonding between fiber and matrix, caused by the fiber coating.