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Layered ceramics have been proposed as an alternative for the design ofstructural ceramics with an improved fracture toughness and reliability. The use ofenergy release mechanisms such as crack branching, crack deflection and/or crackbifurcation can improve the crack growth resistance of the material. The tendency of acrack to be deflected along the interface or to penetrate through it is associated with theelastic and mechanical properties of the layers and the architectural design.Additionally, the residual stresses generated in these laminates during cooling downfrom sintering may also influence the crack path. In this work the conditions for crackpropagation are investigated on an alumina-zirconia layered ceramic based onexperimental observations under distinct loading scenarios. A crackdeflection/penetration criterion for bimaterials has been used as theoretical framework.An optimal design for maximum energy consumption is proposed based on suchtheoretical analysis and experimental observations, which can be extended to otherlayered architectures aiming to improve the crack growth resistance of the material.