Through the observation of wear scar of two ceramic materials, microstructural wear mechanisms was investigated. As for the -5 vol% SiC nanocomposite, the grain boundary fracture was suppressed by the presence of SiC nano-particles. The intragranular SiC particles have inhibited the extension of plastic deformation through the whole grain. Part of plastic deformation was accommodated around SiC particles, which made a cavity at the interface between SiC and matrix alumina. On the other hand, gas-pressure sintered silicon nitride showed extensive grain boundary fracture due to the thermal fatigue. The lamination of wear scar was initiated by the dissolution of grain boundary phase. These two extreme cases showed the importance of microstructures in wear behavior.

In purpose of introducing the inverse magnetostrictive properties into the structural ceramics, based nanocomposites dispersed with nano-sized Ni-Co particles were studied. The composites were fabricated by the hydrogen reduction and hot-pressing of and NiO-CoO mixed powders. The mixtures were prepared by using Ni- and Co-nitrate as source materials for the Ni-Co particles. Microstructural observations revealed that nano-sized Ni-Co particles were dispersed homogeneously at grain boundaries. High strength above 1 GPa was obtained for the wt% Ni-Co nanocomposite fabricated by a controlled powder preparation process. The inverse magnetostrictive response to applied stress was obtained due to the presence of dispersed Ni-Co particles, which indicates a possibility to incorporate new functions into the structural ceramics without loosing the mechanical properties.

Ceramic based nanocomposite, in which nano-sized ceramics and metals were dispersed within matrix grains and/or at grain boundaries, were successfully fabricated in the ceramic/cerarnic and ceramic/metal composite systems such as /SiC, /, MgO/SiC, mullite/SiC, /SiC, /B, /W, /Mo, /Ni and /Mo systems. In these systems, the ceramiclceramic composites were fabricated from homogeneously mixed powders, powders with thin coatings of the second phases and amorphous precursor composite powders by usual powder metallurgical methods. The ceramiclmetal nanocomposites were prepared by combination of H2 reduction of metal oxides in the early stage of sinterings and usual powder metallurgical processes. The transmission electron microscopic observation for the /SiC nanocomposite indicated that the second phases less than 70nm were mainly located within matrix grains and the larger particles were dispersed at the grain boundaries. The similar observation was also identified for other cerarnic/ceramic and ceramiclmetal nanocornposites. The striking findings in these nanocomposites were that mechanical properties were significantly improved by the nano-sized dispersion from 5 to 10 vol% even at high temperatures. For example, the improvement in hcture strength by 2 to 5 times and in creep resistance by 2 to 4 orders was observed not only for the ceramidceramic nanocomposites but also for the ceramiclmetal nanocomposites with only 5~01%se cond phase. The newly developed silicon nitride/boron nitride nanocomposites, in which nano-sized hexagonal BN particulates with low Young's modulus and fracture strength were dispersed mainly within matrix grains, gave also the strong improvement in fracture strength and thermal shock fracture resistance. In presentation, the process-rnicro/nanostructure-properties relationship will be presented in detail. The special emphasis will be placed on the understanding of the roles of nano-sized dispersions on mechanical properties.