Investigation of the Thermomechanical Properties and Fracture Behaviour of Magnesia-Based Materials by Using a Refined Digital Image Correlation Method
Magnesia-spinel and magnesia-hercynite bricks for thermal shock applications often show an enhanced crack propagation resistance due to an engineered microstructure design. In these materials, microcrack networks resulting from the thermal expansion mismatch between magnesia matrix and spinel/hercynite aggregates promote the activation of energy dissipating mechanisms within the so-called Fracture Process Zone (FPZ) during loading.