Directionally solidified oxide ceramic eutectic composites with superior strength,
oxidation resistance, creep resistance, structural stability and low sensitivity to crack at high
temperature have aroused much attention in recent years, and various preparation techniques have
been developed. In situ fabrication of ceramic eutectic composites by laser rapid solidification is a
cheap and quick method compared to conventional multi-step fabrication methods of fiber reinforced
composites for high temperature use. In this paper, Al2O3/YAG/ZrO2 ternary eutectics are rapidly
prepared from melt by directional solidification using laser zone remelting technique, the growth
characteristic and fracture toughness are investigated. The results show that: (1) Laser rapidly
solidified Al2O3/YAG/ZrO2 ceramic eutectic in situ composite presents a fine interpenetrating
network structure, in which Al2O3, YAG and ZrO2 phases are continually interconnected and finely
coupled without pores, colonies and grain boundaries between interfaces. (2) Laser scanning rate and
power density strongly affect the eutectic growth. With the processing parameters adjusted properly,
the eutectic shows homogeneous and coupled lamellar microstructure. The characteristic dimensions
of the microstructure are around 2~3 1m for Al2O3 and YAG phases, and around 0.2~1 1m for ZrO2
phases, respectively. (3) The hardness and fracture toughness of the rapidly solidified
Al2O3/YAG/ZrO2 eutectic are 16.7 GPa and 8.0 MPa.m1/2, respectively.