Alumina–Aluminide Alloys (3A) Technology: I, Model Development

The general reaction behavior of the 3A process under the thermal explosion mode of synthesis has been investigated via a continuum model. The continuum model uses mass and energy balances to predict temperature difference ( T _s,avg− T _f) curves, as well as profile curves of the reactant conversions and sample temperature. In particular, the effect of the dimensionless parameters associated with the rate of local heat generation (β, the thermicity factor), the activation energy (γ, the Arrhenius number), the rate of heat redistribution (α, the modified thermal diffusivity), the rate of heat transfer by convection (Bi, the Biot number or convective heat transfer parameter), and the rate of heat transfer by radiation (Ω, the radiative heat transfer parameter) were investigated. Conditions to control the reaction process, which should produce high-density final products, were determined. It was found that the overall maximum temperature may be reduced for high γ, low β, high α, and high Bi and Ω. In terms of processing conditions, this may be obtained by reducing the initial reactant concentrations, optimizing the particle size, using small sample sizes and high compaction pressure, and increasing the heat loss by using a high thermal conductivity inert gas.     

Alumina–Aluminide Alloys (3A) Technology: II, Modeling of TixAly–Al2O3 Composites Formation

The reaction sintering of Ti _x Al _y –Al₂O₃ composites from TiO₂/Al starting powder mixtures has been characterized by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), in situ temperature measurements, and predictions via a continuum model. In order to model the TiO₂/Al reaction system, it was necessary to first determine the postmill reactant concentrations and the dominant reaction. The postmill reactant concentrations were obtained from TG/DTA measurements in air, while X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to gain insight into the reaction mechanisms. A continuum model of the process was fitted to in situ temperature measurements by adjusting two parameters. The model was then used to investigate the effects of various processing conditions on the reaction behavior.     

形成玻璃的添加物对95瓷烧结性能的影响

本文研究了MeO—B_2O_3—SiO_2系玻璃添加物对95瓷性能的影响。讨论了化学成份、相组成、烧结状态和致密烧结陶瓷体的物理性能之间的关系。添加3～4.5Wt％玻璃添加物的氧化铝陶瓷可以在1520±20℃温度下致密烧结并具有良好的性能。     

Alumina Sol-Assisted Sintering of SiC—Al2O3 Composites

The composite sol—gel (CSG) technology has been utilized to process SiC—Al₂O₃ ceramic/ceramic particulate reinforced composites with a high content of SiC (up to 50 vol%). Alumina sol, resulting from hydrolysis of aluminum isopropoxide, has been utilized as a dispersant and sintering additive. Microstructures of the composites (investigated using TEM) show the sol-originating phase present at grain boundaries, in particular at triple junctions, irrespective of the type of grain (i.e., SiC or Al₂O₃). It is hypothesized that the alumina film originating from the alumina sol reacts with SiO₂ film on the surface of SiC grains to form mullite or alumina-rich mullite-glass mixed phase. Effectively, SiC particles interconnect through this phase, facilitating formation of a dense body even at very high SiC content. Comparative sinterability studies were performed on similar SiC—Al₂O₃ compositions free of alumina sol. It appears that in these systems the large fraction of directly contacting SiC—SiC grains prevents full densification of the composite. The microhardness of SiC—Al₂O₃ sol—gel composites has been measured as a function of the content of SiC and sintering temperature. The highest microhardness of 22.9 GPa has been obtained for the composition 50 vol% SiC—50 vol% Al₂O₃, sintered at 1850°C.     

液相烧结氧化铝陶瓷及其烧结动力学分析

研究了CuO TiO2复相添加剂对Al2O3陶瓷烧结性能、显微结构的影响以及添加剂形成液相时Al2O3陶瓷的烧结动力学.结果显示:添加剂的加入明显地促进了Al2O3陶瓷的烧结致密度.添加剂含量对致密有明显影响,含量越高,烧结速率越快.当添加剂(CuO TiO2)为2%(质量分数),CuO/TiO2质量比为1/2时,Al2O3样品致密度最高.添加剂的存在使Al2O3晶粒发生较快生长,晶粒形貌为等轴状.通过等温烧结动力学,确定掺杂Al2O3陶瓷烧结激活能为25.2kJ/mol,表明可能是氧离子和铝离子在液相中的扩散作用控制了烧结过程.     

氧化铝陶瓷及其烧结

氧化铝陶瓷具有良好的性能,故应用广泛。本文介绍了氧化铝变体、氧化铝陶瓷的性质和用途。论述了氧化铝陶瓷烧结动力学并分析了影响烧结的主要因素。     

Al2O3/TiC Based Metal Cutting Tools by Microwave Sintering Followed by Hot Isostatic Pressing

The feasibility of producing Al₂O₃/TiC metal cutting tools by fast microwave sintering followed by hot isostatic pressing was examined. Microwave heating profiles able to ensure near-full densification of Al₂O₃/TiC ceramic components were determined. Simple-shape specimens could be sintered to a bulk density of 97% theoretical density (TD) while in the case of tool-shaped ones maximal densification levels attained were somewhat lower, i.e., ∼95% TD. Temperature uniformization—within the heating chamber—by using a particulate SiC susceptor noticeably reduced tool cracking propensity. Densification levels in the range acceptable for commercial tool manufacturing (≥98% TD) were achieved by hot isostatic pressing of the microwave-sintered parts. The isostatically pressed parts exhibited a Vickers hardness H _v≅ 2000 kg/mm² and a fracture toughness K _IC∼ 4.3 MPa·m^1/2.     

透明氧化铝陶瓷制备的研究进展

氧化铝陶瓷是第一个实现透明化的先进陶瓷材料,拓展了先进陶瓷材料的研究和应用领域;并作为高强度气体放电灯的关键部件一电弧管而获得实际应用.近半个世纪以来,人们在提高透过率的理论研究和优化制备工艺方面取得了众多成果.本文论述了影响透明氧化铝陶瓷透光性的各种因素,并且从氧化铝粉体、烧结助剂的选择及作用和烧结工艺等三方面综述了近年来国内外关于氧化铝陶瓷研究的工作与进展,对氧化铝透明陶瓷的制备进行了较为系统的综述,最后展望了透明氧化铝陶瓷的发展趋势.     

High-Strength Porous Alumina Ceramics by the Pulse Electric Current Sintering Technique

High-strength porous alumina has been fabricated with a microstructure control using the pulse electric current sintering (PECS) technique. During sintering the discharge, which is assumed to take place in the voids between the particles, is thought to promote the bridging of particles by neck growth in the initial stages of sintering, leaving high porosity. The effect of dopants (MgO, 200 ppm; TiO₂, 1000 ppm) and of secondary inclusions (3 vol% 3Y-TZP) on the constrained densification and the improvement in the mechanical behavior of porous alumina ceramics has been reported. The porosity of the fabricated porous alumina was controllable between 30% and 50% depending on the sintering temperature. The flexural strength of alumina having 30% and 42% porosity showed impressive values of 250 and 177 MPa, respectively. The dominance of the preferential neck growth of grains over densification significantly improved the mechanical properties of porous alumina, besides leaving high porosity.     

Micromechanics of Deformation in Porous Liquid-Phase-Sintered Alumina under Hertzian Contact

A series of fine-grained porous alumina samples, with and without a liquid phase, were fabricated in compositions matched closely to commercially available alumina used as microelectronic substrates. Hertzian indentation on monolithic specimens of the glass-containing samples produced a greater quasi-ductile stress–strain response compared with that observed in the pure alumina. Maximum residual indentation depths, determined from surface profilometry, correlated with the stress–strain results. Moreover, microstructural observations from bonded interface specimens revealed significantly more damage in the form of microcracking and under extreme loading, pore collapse, in the glass-containing specimens. The absence of the typical twin faulting mechanism observed for larger-grained alumina suggests that the damage mechanism for quasi-ductility in these fine-grained porous aluminas was derived from the pores acting as a stress concentrator and the grain boundary glass phase providing a weak path for short crack propagation.     

Impurity-Dependent Morphology and Grain Growth in Liquid-Phase-Sintered Alumina

The alumina grains in liquid-phase-sintered (LPS) materials prepared from different commercial sources have a predominantly platelet morphology. Generally, the MgO:(CaO + BaO + Na₂O + K₂O) ratio in the chemical composition controls the morphology in LPS alumina that is 91–94 wt% pure. Within a given range of SiO₂ content (i.e., 4.3–5.2 wt% in the chemical composition), a low MgO:(CaO + BaO + Na₂O + K₂O) ratio (i.e., <1.0) in the LPS compositions favors the formation of elongated grains, whereas ratios of >1.0 result in equiaxed grains. SiO₂ contents outside the 4.3–5.2 wt% range favor the formation of elongated grains. A tendency to form platelike grains is observed for LPS alumina with a purity of 91–94 wt% when both the MgO:(CaO + BaO + Na₂O + K₂O) ratio and the SiO₂ content are relatively low. The sintered density generally increases as the SiO₂ content in the chemical composition decreases.     

Effect of Surface Impurities on the Microstructure Development during Sintering of Alumina

Microstructural evolution during sintering of alumina powder compacts prepared by cold isostatic pressing (CIP) was monitored. For CIP, rubber molds lubricated with silicone oil were used so that a very small amount of impurity was introduced to the surface of the powder compacts. During sintering at 1600°C, grain growth in the surface region was inhibited up to sintering for 1 h, but subsequently abnormal grain growth occurred. In the inner region, however, the grains grew uniformly without abnormal grain growth. Impurities that initially drag the boundary migration but form liquid at the end are suggested to cause abnormal grain growth.     

Densification Behaviors of Fine-Alumina and Coarse-Alumina Compacts during Liquid-Phase Sintering with the Addition of Talc

The densification behavior of fine alumina (mean particle size of ∼0.31 μm) and coarse alumina (mean particle size of ∼4.49 μm) during liquid-phase sintering with additions of talc have been studied, as well as the microstructural evolution. Small amounts (0, 5, and 10 wt%) of talc were added to the fine alumina and coarse alumina, which were sintered at various temperatures for 2 h. When 5 wt% of talc was added to the coarse alumina, densification proceeded rapidly above the liquid-formation temperature in alumina–talc compacts, because of the promotion of a rearrangement process of the solid grains by the liquid phase. The addition of 10 wt% of talc greatly accelerated densification by increasing the volume fraction of liquid. On the other hand, in the fine alumina, which has a higher activity and a greater driving force for sintering, appreciable densification started below the liquid-formation temperature, which prevented further densification after liquid formation. Moreover, the densification was suppressed as the talc content increased. The rigid skeleton of solid grains that was formed by densification below the liquid-formation temperature is believed to have suppressed the rearrangement process of the solid grains, and further densification of the compacts was retarded, even after the formation of a liquid phase above the liquid-formation temperature.     

Spark-Plasma Sintering of Silicon Carbide Whiskers (SiCw) Reinforced Nanocrystalline Alumina

The combined effect of rapid sintering by spark-plasma-sintering (SPS) technique and mechanical milling of γ-Al₂O₃ nanopowder via high-energy ball milling (HEBM) on the microstructural development and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline alumina matrix composites toughened by 20 vol% silicon carbide whiskers was investigated. SiC_w/γ-Al₂O₃ nanopowders processed by HEBM can be successfully consolidated to full density by SPS at a temperature as low as 1125°C and still retain a near-nanocrystalline matrix grain size (∼118 nm). However, to densify the same nanopowder mixture to full density without the benefit of HEBM procedure, the required temperature for sintering was higher than 1200°C, where one encountered excessive grain growth. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicated that HEBM did not lead to the transformation of γ-Al₂O₃ to α-Al₂O₃ of the starting powder but rather induced possible residual stress that enhances the densification at lower temperatures. The SiC_w/HEBMγ-Al₂O₃ nanocomposite with grain size of 118 nm has attractive mechanical properties, i.e., Vickers hardness of 26.1 GPa and fracture toughness of 6.2 MPa·m^1/2.     

Sintering and Microstructure Modification of Mullite/Zirconia Composites Derived from Silica-Coated Alumina Powders

This paper addresses the densification and microstructure development during firing of mullite/zirconia composites made from silica-coated-alumina (SCA) microcomposite powders. Densification occurs in two stages: in the presence of a silica–alumina mixture and after conversion to mullite. The first stage of densification occurs through transient viscous phase sintering (TVS). This is best promoted by rapid heating, which delays the crystallization of silica to higher temperatures. A further sintering stage is observed following mullitization. The introduction of seeds promotes solid-state sintering, most probably due to refinement of the mullite matrix. For seed concentrations up to about 1% the sintering kinetics depend on seed concentration. This suggests that nucleation still remains the rate-controlling mullitization step. Above this concentration the reaction becomes growth controlled. Introduction of seeds also promotes direct mullitization without transient zircon formation that was observed in a previous study of the same process without seeding. Seeding also promotes the development of elongated grains by way of a solid-state recrystallization process.     

Powder chemistry effects on the sintering of MgO‐doped specialty Al2O3

In this work, we investigate the effects of powder chemistry on the sintering of MgO‐doped specialty alumina. The stages at which MgO influences densification of Al₂O₃ were identified by comparing dilatometry measurements and the sintering kinetics of MgO‐free and MgO‐doped specialty alumina powders. MgO is observed to reduce the grain boundary thickness during densification using TEM. We show that MgO increases the solubility of SiO₂ in alumina grains near the boundaries using EDS. First‐principles DFT calculations demonstrate that the co‐dissolution of MgO and SiO₂ in alumina is thermodynamically favored over the dissolution of MgO or SiO₂ individually in alumina. This study experimentally demonstrates for the first time that removal of SiO₂ from the grain boundaries is a key process by which MgO enhances the sintering of alumina.     

Pulse Electric Current Sintering of Al2O3/3 vol% ZrO2 with Constrained Grains and High Strength

The pulse electric current sintering technique (PECS) was demonstrated to be effective in rapid densification of fine-grained Al₂O₃/3Y-ZrO₂ using available commercial powders. The composites attained full densification (>99% of TD) at 1450°C in less than 5 min. The composites sintered at a high heating rate had a fine microstructure. The incorporation of 3 vol% 3Y-ZrO₂ substantially increased the average fracture strength and the toughness of alumina to as high as 827 MPa and 6.1 MPa·m^1/2, respectively. A variation in the heating rate during the PECS process influenced grain size, microstructure, and strength, though there was little or no variation in the fracture toughness.     

The Effects of Na2O and SiO2 on Liquid Phase Sintering of Bayer Al2O3

To determine how grain‐boundary composition affects the liquid phase sintering of MgO‐free Bayer process aluminas, samples were singly or co‐doped with up to 1029 ppm Na₂O and 603 ppm SiO₂ and heated at 1525°C up to 8 h. Na₂O retards densification of samples from the onset of sintering and up to hold times of 30 min at 1525°C compared to the undoped samples, but similar to the as‐received, MgO‐free Al₂O₃, Na₂O‐doped samples sinter to 98% density with average grain sizes of ~3 μm after 8 h. Increasing SiO₂ concentration significantly retards densification at all hold times up to 8 h. The estimated viscosities (20?400 Pa·s) of the 0.3 to 1.8 nm thick siliceous grain‐boundary films in this study indicate that diffusion greatly depends on the composition of the liquid grain‐boundary phase. For low Na₂O/SiO₂ ratios, densification of Bayer Al₂O₃ at 1525°C is controlled by diffusion of Al³⁺ through the grain‐boundary liquid, whereas for high Na₂O/SiO₂ ratios, densification can be governed by either the interface reaction (i.e., dissolution) of Al₂O₃ or diffusion of Al³⁺. Increasing Na₂O in SiO₂‐doped samples increases diffusion of Al³⁺ and Al₂O₃ solubility in the liquid, and thus densification increases by 1%. Based on these findings, we conclude that Bayer Al₂O₃ densification can be manipulated by adjusting the Na₂O to SiO₂ ratio.     

Sintering of Translucent Alumina in a Nitrogen–Hydrogen Gas Atmosphere

The sintering of alumina doped with magnesia-based additives to translucency previously has been possible only in atmospheres of hydrogen or oxygen or under vacuum. This paper reports on the sintering of alumina in N₂–H₂ atmospheres that contain as little as 2% H₂, where optical transparency that is equivalent to that of normal H₂ sintering is achieved. In an effort to explain these results, experiments that vary the content of H₂ and H₂O, as well as the changes in the dynamic atmosphere, have been conducted. The evidence indicates that the final-stage sintering involves a point-defect pair mechanism that includes hydrogen interstitials and nitrogen solutes.     

Sintering of Mixtures of Seeded Boehmite and Ultrafine α-Alumina

α-Alumina was fabricated by dry pressing mixtures of seeded boehmite and fine α-alumina (i.e., 0.2 and 0.3 μm diameter) to reduce the large shrinkage of boehmite-derived α-alumina. The maximum green density was obtained with mixtures containing ∼70%α-alumina for both alumina powders. The ∼15% linear shrinkage and microstructures of these samples were comparable to 100% alumina powder samples. Samples with 0.2 μm alumina sintered to densities >95% at 1300°C whereas 1400°C was needed for samples with 0.3 μm alumina. These results indicate that boehmite can be used as a substitute for relatively expensive ultrafine α-alumina powders.