| Summary: | Natural composites have complex fracture patterns because of their intricate microstructures, which results in their extraordinary toughness. The microstructures of currently available reinforced composites have not yet developed to the same degree of complexity, yielding inferior characteristics. A promising new technique called magnetically assisted slip casting (MASC) has been developed and implemented for creating periodically structured assemblies of dense ceramics. This technique utilises rotating magnetic field, which allows for the manipulation of ceramic microplatelets, making it possible for the creation of necessary and various complex microstructures.
To investigate the capabilities and constraints of MASC-fabricated structures, ceramic green bodies with various orientation were fabricated. To replicate the biopolymeric mortar present in the natural composites, a polymer matrix was infiltrated into the obtained ceramic green bodies. Tensile tests were executed on the samples and its mechanical properties were studied, which showed that the alignment of microplatelets affects the strength and toughness.
The results of the study showed that the orientation of the microplatelets had a significant impact on the mechanical properties of the composite material. It was found that the horizontally aligned samples performed the best when compared to the other samples. This superior performance was attributed to the jamming effect of the gypsum mould, which caused the horizontally aligned microplatelets to be curved towards the sides. As a result, the curved microplatelets provided greater resistance to failure, contributing to the enhanced tensile strength and toughness of the horizontally aligned samples.
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