Interaction of fiber and transformation toughening

B small scale bridging (SSB) assumption, a theoretical study is made of the interaction between the fracture toughening effects of transforming particles and crack bridging fibers which are aligned in the direction perpendicular to the crack surfaces. The fibers bridging the crack are assumed to undergo large amounts of slipping inside the matrix. It is found that the interaction can be synergistic over a parametric range of material properties of the ceramic composite system. The Mode-1 plane-strain fracture toughness of the ceramic composite system is determined in terms of fiber strength, transformation toughening parameters and interaction parameters. The results obtained here are qualitatively similar to those for the interaction between the fracture toughening effects of transforming particles and crack-bridging ductile particles by A and B (1988a, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 36, 581).