High Temperature Mechanical Properties of a Crystallized BaO-B₂O₃-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ Glass Ceramic for SOFC

The high temperature mechanical properties in a glass-ceramic sealant of BaO-B₂O₃-Al₂O₃-SiO₂ system was studied by four-point bending test at room temperature, 550°C, 600°C, 650°C, and 700°C, to investigate the variation of Young’s modulus, flexural strength, and stress relaxation. Weibull statistic analysis was applied to describe the fracture strength of the given glass ceramic. The crystalline phase was produced by controlled heat treatment and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the flexural strength was enhanced at high temperatures when the testing temperature was below the glass transition temperature (T_g). This was presumably due to a crack healing effect taking place at high temperature. Significant stress relaxation for the given glass ceramic was observed to generate extremely large deformation without breaking the specimens when the testing temperature was set at 700°C.