Crack Growth Testing of an Aluminum Oxynitride (AlON) for International Space Station Kick Panes

The mechanical properties of an aluminum oxynitride supplied as ground beams and disks were measured using ASTM International (formerly American Society for Testing and Materials) standard test methods. The slow crack growth tests were complicated by a "short" finish that increased strength scatter. Refining of the finish by more material removal in the second stage of grinding or the use of uniaxial grinding as specified in ASTM C1499 might have avoided the issue. The structural design parameters are an elastic modulus of E = 319 GPa, Poisson's ratio of v = 0.26, a fracture toughness of KIvb(A) = 2.18 MPa/m, slow crack growth (SCG) parameter n = 36, and SCG parameter A = 1.96 x 10-11 m/s.(MPa/m)n. For a ground finish, the Weibull parameters are a mean modulus of m = 14.0 and characteristic strength of sigma theta = 250.2 MPa. The 2015 vintage material exhibits similar mechanical properties to a 2010 vintage billet. Indentation flaws were not sensitive to the inherent crack growth mechanisms of this material and produced misleading results.