相变增韧产生了一类新的结构陶瓷。这一工艺为陶瓷材料在许多新应用中的应用开辟了可能性，在这些应用中，陶瓷要么从未被考虑过，要么在过去从未成功过。其中一个困难的应用是通过连铸工艺制造铜棒。本文介绍了相变增韧的基础、关键性能的改善及其带来的好处、连铸铜棒制造工艺，以及迄今为止在该工艺中使用的陶瓷材料及其带来的改进。

TRANSFORMATION TOUGHENING HAS LED TO A NEW CLASS OF STRUCTURAL CERAMICS. THIS PROCESS HAS OPENED THE POSSIBILITY OF USING CERAMIC MATERIALS IN MANY NEW APPLICATIONS WHERE CERAMICS WERE EITHER NEVER CONSIDERED OR NEVER SUCCESSFUL IN THE PAST. ONE OF THESE DIFFICULT APPLICATIONS IS THE MANUFACTURING OF COPPER ROD BY THE CONTINUOUS CASTING PROCESS. THIS PAPER PRESENTS THE BASICS OF TRANSFORMATION TOUGHENING, THE IMPROVEMENT OF CRITICAL PROPERTIES WITH THE RESULTING BENEFITS, THE CONTINUOUS CASTING COPPER ROD MANUFACTURING PROCESS, AND THE CERAMIC MATERIALS UTILIZED THUS FAR IN THAT PROCESS WITH THE RESULTING IMPROVEMENTS.