Dans cette thèse, des vitrocéramiques et composites à matrice verres ont été élaborés avec pour objectif principal d’étudier les interactions entre la fissure et les différentes inclusions. Dans un premier temps, la nucléation et la cristallisation volumique de sphérulites dans un verre du système BaO-Al2O3-SiO2 ont été étudiées. Puis, l’influence de la cristallisation sur l’élasticité, la dureté et la ténacité a été mesurée. Il est apparu une augmentation de ces propriétés suite à la cristallisation. Après dopage avec des oxydes de terres rares, le verre a été fonctionnalisé par l’apparition de cristaux phosphorescents à la surface du matériau. Dans un second temps, l’influence d’un différentiel de coefficient de Poisson (entre la matrice et les inclusions) sur la propagation d’une fissure a été étudiée. Pour cela des composites à particules et matrices vitreuses ont été élaborés par Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) et étudiés par Double Cleavage Drilled Compression (DCDC). Il a été mis en lumière une déviation de la fissure quand cette dernière arrive à proximité des inclusions vitreuses dans le cas où le coefficient de Poisson de l’inclusion est inférieur à celui de la matrice. Une déviation de moindre importance a été observée dans le cas inverse. Enfin, des nanocomposites fonctionnalisés par des particules de magnétite (Fe3O4) et d’or ont été obtenus suite à un frittage SPS. Les propriétés apportées par ces particules ont permis le chauffage du matériau, respectivement, par induction et par irradiation laser. Dans le deuxième cas, après un traitement laser de 10 min, une cicatrisation partielle de fissures d’indentation a pu être observée. / In this thesis, glass-ceramics and glass matrix composites have been developed in order to study the interactions between the crack and the various inclusions. Firstly, the nucleation and volume crystallization of spherulites in a glass of the BaO-Al2O3-SiO2 system were studied. Then, the influence of crystallization on elasticity, hardness and toughness was measured. An increase of these properties due to crystallization was observed. After doping with rare earths oxides, the glass was functionalized by surface crystallization of phosphorescent crystals. Secondly, the influence of a Poisson’s ratio differential (between the matrix and inclusions) on the crack propagation was studied. For this purpose, glassy particulate glass matrix composites have been elaborated by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) and studied by Double Cleavage Drilled Compression (DCDC). A deviation of the crack in the vicinity of the glass inclusions has been identified in the case where the Poisson’s ratio of the inclusion is lower than the one of the matrix. In the opposite case, less important deviations were noticed. Finally, nanocomposites functionalized with magnetite (Fe3O4) and gold particles were obtained after a SPS treatment. The properties provided by these particles allowed the material to be heated, respectively, by induction and by laser irradiation. In the second case, after a 10 min laser treatment, a partial healing of indentation cracks could be observed.

Glass matrix composites containing a conducting filler such as antimony tin oxide (ATO) or silicon carbide whiskers (SiCw) have the potential for applications such as transparent electrodes, heating elements, and electromagnetic shielding. For these applications, the composite performance is highly dependent on the microstructure of the composite and the interactions the added filler has with one another. In this research, borosilicate glass-matrix composites were fabricated using a processing method that creates segregated percolated networks at low concentrations of conducting fillers. The conducting fillers were hot pressed with the glass microspheres at temperatures near the glass transition temperature (550°C) using various pressures. Upon hot-pressing at these low temperatures, the glass microspheres deformed into faceted polyhedra and the fillers were displaced to the edges of the glass particles, resulting in percolation. The processing method used in this study was able to bypass many of the current composition and densification issues associated with the creation of percolated networks in glass composites. In some cases, the formation of these percolated networks resulted in a 12-13 orders of magnitude decrease in the resistivity. Using a non-destructive electrical measurement technique, ac impedance spectroscopy (IS), the changes in the electrical properties were tracked as the conducting networks developed. Using IS in conjunction with other techniques, correlations were made between the electrical properties, the filler interfaces, and the influence the processing parameters had on the development of the percolation networks within these composites.