The present work studies the microstructure and mechanical performance of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) based cermet toughened by iron particles. A novelty arises by the employment of spark plasma sintering for fabrication of the cermet. Results showed partial transformation of initial alpha TCP matrix to beta phase and the absence of oxidation of iron particles, as well as a lack of chemical reaction between TCP and iron components during sintering. The values of compressive and tensile strength of TCP/Fe cermet were 3.2 and 2.5 times, respectively, greater than those of monolithic TCP. Fracture analysis revealed the simultaneous action of crack-bridging and crack-deflection microstructural toughening mechanisms under compression. In contrast, under tension the reinforcing mechanism was only crack-bridging, being the reason for smaller increment of strength. Elastic properties of the cermet better matched values reported for human cortical bone. Thereby the new TCP/Fe cermet has potential for eventual use as a material for bone fractures fixation under load-bearing conditions.

本工作研究了铁颗粒增韧的磷酸三钙（TCP）基金属陶瓷的微观结构和力学性能。通过使用火花等离子体烧结来制造金属陶瓷，产生了新颖性。结果显示，初始αTCP基质部分转变为β相，铁颗粒没有氧化，并且在烧结过程中TCP和铁组分之间没有化学反应。TCP / Fe金属陶瓷的抗压强度和抗拉强度值分别是整体式TCP的3.2倍和2.5倍。断裂分析揭示了在压缩作用下裂纹桥接和裂纹挠曲微观结构增韧机制的同时作用。相比之下，在拉力作用下，增强机制只是裂纹桥接，是强度增加较小的原因。金属陶瓷的弹性性能与人体皮质骨的匹配值更好。因此，新型TCP / Fe金属陶瓷有可能最终用作承重条件下的骨折固定材料。