Influence of the Fracture Criterion on the Failure Prediction of Ceramics Loaded in Biaxial Flexure

The failure probability of ceramic components in multiaxial stress states can be predicted from the results of uniaxial tests, if a suitable fracture criterion for multiaxial loading is known. In the paper it is investigated how the selected failure criterion influences the predicted distribution of the fracture stress of a component. Several acceptable failure criteria are found by comparing the results of four-point-bend tests performed with aluminum nitride with the results of concentric ring-on-ring tests.