Rheological properties of aqueous alumina suspensions

The aim of the present work was to investigate rheological behaviour of alumina suspensions, considering different amounts of polyvinyl alcohol (PVAL) as a binder. Three different aqueous suspensions were prepared, containing 60, 70 and 80 wt.% of alumina powder. Spinel was added as a sintering agent and Darvan 821‐A as a dispersant, in an amount of 0.08 and 0.4 wt.% of dry powder weight, respectively. The alumina suspensions flow curves were recorded and fitted satisfactorily to the power law, Herschel‐Bulkley and Bingham models. Obtained results indicate that apparent viscosity of alumina suspensions increases with increasing Al₂O₃ and polyvinyl alcohol amount.