The damage behaviors induced in a SiC by a spherical particle impact having a different material and size were investigated. Especially, the influence of the impact velocity of a particle on the cone crack shape developed was mainly discussed. The damage induced by a particle impact was different depending on the material and the size of a particle. The ring cracks on the surface of the specimen were multiplied by increasing the impact velocity of a particle. The steel particle impact
produced the larger ring cracks than that of the SiC particle. In the case of the high velocity impact of the SiC particle, the radial cracks were generated due to the inelastic deformation at the impact site. In the case of the larger particle impact, the morphology of the damages developed were similar to the case of the smaller particle one, but a percussion cone was formed from the back surface of the specimen when the impact velocity exceeded a critical value. The zenithal angle of the cone cracks developed into the SiC decreased monotonically as the particle impact velocity increased. The size and material of a particle influenced more or less on the extent of the cone crack shape. An empirical equation was obtained as a function of impact velocity of the particle, based on the quasi-static zenithal angle of the cone crack. This equation will be helpful to the computational simulation of the residual strength in ceramic components damaged by the particle impact.
