Anisotropy and residual stress in B4C-ZrB2 eutectic

Microstructure texturing in eutectic composites is known for contributing to anisotropic materials properties. Although B4C-ZrB2 eutectic has long been discovered, very little is known about how the highly textured microstructure and the crystallographic orientation of the constituent phases affect the mechanical properties of the composite. In this study, B4C-ZrB2 eutectic is prepared via arc melting to investigate the hardness and toughness anisotropy due to microstructure texturing and crystallographic orientations. In addition, residual stresses responsible for the observed toughening mechanisms were elucidated using the theoretical model and Raman stress mapping.