Strength of SiSiC-ceramics - examination of the specimen size effect

For the design of ceramic components which have to sustain mechanical loads in service reliable strength data have to be available. Normally strength data of structural ceramics are determined using small test specimens, e.g. four-point bend specimens. The prediction of the load bearing capability of large components is then based on these data in connection with the Weibull formalism (Weibull 1951). The objective of the present investigation is to check the validity of this procedure by performing strength tests both on small four-point bend specimens and on larger components.