“…This is attributed to the low thermal expansion coefficient (α = 2.8 × 10 −6 • C −1 in the 20-500 • C range) and good high-temperature resistance of Ba-osumilite (the osumilite melting point is T f ≈ 1370 • C). 1,2 For example, Ba-osumilite glass-ceramics have often been reinforced with continuous Nicalon ® SiC fibres due to the small thermal expansion coefficient mismatch between the fibres (α = 3.1 × 10 −6 • C −1 at 25 • C) and the osumilite-based matrix; the resulting SiC/BMAS composites combine a flexural strength of 400-700 MPa with a fracture toughness of 3-4 MPa m 1/2 , depending on the matrix microstructure and the fibre content. 1 The manufacturing of both strong and tough composites relies greatly on the understanding of the matrix crystallisation behaviour, which was limited and fragmented for the BMAS glass-ceramic.…”