Fabrication and characteristics of alumina-iron functionally graded materials

In the present work, five-layered alumina–iron functionally graded materials (FGMs) were fabricated via a simple route of die pressing and pressureless sintering. The shrinkage differences among the layers in the FGM were minimized by particle size selection and processing control. The microstructure and the composition of the prepared component were studied, and its flexural strength, fracture toughness, and fracture energy were tested and evaluated. The relative density and the Vickers hardness of each layer in the graded material were also measured. The correlation between microstructure and composition and mechanical properties was discussed. Flat, crack-free, and relatively high-density gradient components were obtained from this work. Compared to monolithic alumina ceramic, the remarkable improvement on fracture toughness and fracture energy of the investigated graded material system was achieved due to the toughening effect of iron and the crack deflection at the weak interfaces. This work provides a cost-effective manner to fabricate ceramic–metal gradient composites for armor applications.