Using Thermomechanical Treatment to Improve the Mechanical Properties of Silicon and Silicon-Based Ceramics

Preliminary mechanical loading at a temperature close to the ductile-brittle transition temperature leads to stress relaxation near cracks in brittle materials due to local plastic deformation at microcrack tips. As a result, such preloading increases the physical and mechanical properties of ceramic materials when tested at room temperature. In the present work, this phenomenon is investigated for silicon and silicon-based ceramics. A thermomechanical treatment (TMT) method of the mentioned materials has been developed to increase their strength and fracture toughness.