Mechanical properties of REBaCuO single-grain bulk fabricated by the infiltration growth technique

In order to investigate the mechanical properties and fracture mechanisms of (Gd,Dy)BaCuO dense bulk material fabricated by the infiltration growth technique, tensile tests were carried out for specimens cut from the as-grown bulk material. The average tensile strength value of the (Gd,Dy)BaCuO dense bulk material fabricated by the infiltration growth technique was 44 MPa, which is superior to that of a porous bulk material fabricated through melt-processing in a 50% O2 atmosphere (37 MPa), and comparable to that of a dense bulk material fabricated through melt-processing in 100% O2 (45 MPa) that have been reported elsewhere. Through the observations of the flow-like patterns formed by the crack propagations on the fracture surfaces, the fatal crack initiation site was identified. One extraordinarily large pore, segregated secondary phase particles and some inclusion that mainly consists of Pt were observed around the crack initiation site on the fracture surfaces of the (Gd,Dy)BaCuO dense bulk material.