Wire-electrical discharge machinable alumina zirconia niobium carbide composites – Influence of NbC content

Alumina zirconia (ZTA) ceramics can be made electric discharge machinable by addition of a percolating network of an electrically conductive phase. In this study the influence of NbC content on the mechanical and electrical properties as well as the ED-machinability of ZTA-NbC ceramics containing 17 vol.% zirconia and 24–32 vol.% NbC were investigated. Samples were hot pressed from mixed and milled starting powders. Surface morphology and surface roughness of wire electrical discharge machined surfaces were studied by SEM and perthometry. Cutting speed was determined to benchmark the ED-machinability.Rising NbC contents progressively impede sinterability. Maximum strength, Young’s modulus and hardness were found at intermediate NbC contents. Conductivity evidently rises with NbC content, the cutting performance showed an adverse tendency. The surface quality of the materials was improved by increasing the content of conductive phase. Additional trimming operations can reduce the mean roughness of machined surfaces to 1 μm.     

Sintering,microstrusture and hardness of different alumina–zirconia composites

Two commercial 3 mol% yttria-partially stabilized zirconia powders, 0.3 wt% Al₂O₃-doped (Al-doped Y-PSZ) and without Al₂O₃ (Y-PSZ), were used to produce alumina (Al₂O₃)-zirconia (ZrO₂) slip cast composites. The influence of the substitution of Al₂O₃ either by different Al-doped Y-PSZ contents or 50 vol% Y-PSZ on the sintering kinetic at the intermediate stage was investigated. In addition, the microstructure of Al₂O₃ and the different composites at temperatures in the range of 1100–1600 °C was studied and related to the sample hardness. An increase in the sintering rate was observed when Al-doped Y-PSZ increased from 22 to 50 vol% or when 50 vol% Y-PSZ was substituted by 50 vol% Al-doped Y-PSZ. 50 vol% ZrO₂ was the most effective concentration to reduce the rate of Al₂O₃ grain growth in the final sintering stage; the Al₂O₃ grain growth began at lower temperatures and became greater with decreasing the Al-doped Y-PSZ content. On the contrary, the ZrO₂ grain growth slightly increased with increasing the Al-doped Y-PSZ concentration. However, for 50 vol% Al-doped Y-PSZ a smaller ZrO₂ grain size distribution compared with 50 vol% Y-PSZ could be achieved. As the average Al₂O₃ grain size of the sintered samples became greater than about 1 µm a markedly decrease in the hardness was found; this occurred at temperatures higher than 1400 °C and 1500 °C for Al₂O₃ and the composite with 10.5 vol% Al-doped Y-PSZ, respectively.     

Effect of SiC particles on rehological and sintering behaviour of alumina–zircon composites

The effect of additions of SiC particulates on rheological and sintering behaviour of slip-cast alumina–zircon composites has been investigated. Finely divided alumina, zircon and silicon carbide powders were first processed into slips, using polyacrylite dispersant (0.5 wt.%) to create highly concentrated, stable aqueous suspensions at 40 vol.% loadings, from which test specimens which were then slip cast and dried. They were subsequently sintered in air for 2 h at 1650 °C. Rheological properties of the prepared slips were evaluated and related to the amount of added SiC. After sintering, the resultant porosities, fractional densities, crystallographic phases present, and microstructures were determined.     

Sintering behaviour of fluorapatite–silicate composites produced from natural fluorapatite and quartz

In this work, the sintering behaviour of fluorapatite (FAp)–silicate composites prepared by mixing variable amounts of natural quartz (2.5 wt% to 20 wt%) and FAp was studied. The composites were pressureless sintered in air at temperatures from 1000 °C to 1350 °C. The effects of temperatures on the densification, phase formation, chemical bonding and Vickers hardness of the composites were evaluated. All the samples exhibited mixed phase, comprising FAp and francolite as the major constituents along with some minor phases of cristobalite, wollastonite, dicalcium silicate and/or whitlockite dependent on the quartz content and sintering temperature. The composite containing 2.5 wt% quartz exhibited the best sintering properties. The highest bulk density of 3 g/cm³ and a Vickers hardness of >4.2 GPa were obtained for the 2.5 wt% quartz–FAp composite when sintered at 1100 °C. The addition of quartz was found to alter the microstructure of the composites, where it exhibited a rod-like morphology when sintered at 1000 °C and a regular rounded grain structure when sintered at 1350 °C. A wetted grain surface was observed for composites containing high quartz content and was believed to be associated with a transient liquid phase sintering.     

Preparation of interpenetrating alumina–copper composites

To prepare interpenetrating alumina–copper composites, alumina foams were activated with titanium coating by chemical vapor deposition and then were infiltrated with molten copper by expendable casting process. The microstructure and phase composition of the composites were analyzed, and bending strength, electrical conductivity, friction and wear properties were tested. The results showed that the bonding between ceramic and metal was fine in the composites while no reactions took place between them because of the undissolved titanium coating. With increase of ceramic fraction, the electrical conductivity of the composite decreased, whereas the bending strength increased. The composite failure occurred by ductile fracture of the metal followed by fracture of the ceramic. The wear rate of the composites decreased with increase of ceramic fraction. And the wear of the composites was featured with ceramic struts peeling compared with ploughing and adhering wear for pure copper.     

Sintering and microstructure of mullite–Mo composites

Mullite–Mo composites of different compositions (0–100 vol.% Mo) were sintered to near theoretical density by pulse electric current sintering (PECS). The densification behaviour and the microstructure of mullite–Mo composites as a function of Mo content were studied. The addition of 10 vol.% Mo significantly enhanced the strength and toughness of monolithic mullite to 556 MPa and 2.9 MPa m^1/2, respectively. SEM observations revealed the modification of discrete isolated Mo particles to continuosly interconnected network with the increase in the Mo content. Mo grains were located at the grain boundaries as well as inside the mullite grains. The addition of Mo to monolithic mullite led to a change in the fracture mode.     

Fractal analysis of cracks in alumina–zirconia composites

The crack paths, induced by Vickers indentation in alumina–zirconia composites, were analyzed using fractal geometry. The fractal dimension n_S was calculated for each crack. This parameter refers to a corresponding three-dimensional fracture surface and indicates how its geometry varies by changing the magnification. An interesting correlation between K_IC and n_S was found: it suggests that the samples with high percentages of alumina and also the pure zirconia are characterized by an intergranular fracture mode, while the composites with high zirconia content present a transgranular fracture mode. This result is confirmed by analyzing the energies of fracture calculated using both the classical and fractal approaches. The results obtained in this research not only made it possible to understand the fracture behavior of the analyzed composites, but also confirmed the good potential of fractal analysis to explain complex mechanisms such as those involved in the fracture of brittle materials.     

Preparation of boron carbide–aluminum composites by non-aqueous gelcasting

Gelcasting is an attractive forming process to fabricate ceramic parts with near-net-shape. In the present work, non-aqueous gelcasting of boron carbide (B₄C)–aluminum (Al) composites was studied. A stable B₄C–Al slurry with solids loading up to 55 vol.% for gelcasting was prepared. The slurry was solidified in situ to green body with the mean value of relative density of 64% and flexural strength of 21 MPa. The SEM images showed that powders in green body compact closely by the connection of polymer networks. B₄C–Al samples were also obtained by the process of gelcasting and sintering at 1300 °C for 1 h in 0.1 MPa Ar atmosphere. The average bulk density of sintered body was 2.05 g cm⁻³.     

Influence of forming conditions on characteristics of alumina–PSZ composites

Abstract

The purpose of the work reported in the present paper was to establish the correlation between the physical, mechanical, and microstructural properties of alumina matrix composites reinforced with (CeO₂, Nd₂ O₃, Y₂O₃ )–PSZ (partially stabilised zirconia) depending on the processing and thermal treatment conditions. The composites obtained from fine powder mixtures were formed by hydraulic pressing, ceramic injection moulding, and hot pressing under various temperature and pressure conditions. The samples were fired at 1550–1770°C in an oxidising atmosphere and in vacuum depending on the forming conditions. Comparative microstructure investigations were made by TEM on sample surfaces. The XRD results were in accordance with the determined properties of the investigated compositions. The results highlighted that the best physical and mechanical properties and homogenous microstructure for the ZTA composites were obtained by firing in vacuum.     

Processing of different alumina–zirconia composites by slip casting

Two Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ mixture preparation routes: classical powder mixing and addition of a Zr (IV) precursor solution to a well dispersed Al₂O₃ suspension, were used to produce alumina (Al₂O₃)–zirconia (ZrO₂) slip cast composites. For the conventional powder mixing route, two commercial 3 mol% yttria-partially stabilized zirconia powders, 0.3 wt% Al₂O₃-doped (Al-doped Y-PSZ) and without Al₂O₃ (Y-PSZ), were employed. The influence of the zirconia content and the solid loading on the rheological properties of concentrated aqueous Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ slips were investigated. The density of green samples was studied and related to the degree of slip dispersion. In addition, the influence of the processing conditions on the density and microstructure development of sintered samples were investigated. By using the Zr (IV) precursor route, nano-sized ZrO₂ (ZN) particles homogeneously distributed on the Al₂O₃ particle surfaces were obtained; however, it let to aggregates of some Al₂O₃ particles with very fine ZrO₂ uniformly distributed. The viscosity and yield stress values of Al₂O₃–ZN suspensions were markedly higher than those of Al₂O₃–Al-doped Y-PSZ and Al₂O₃–Y-PSZ ones, for all the compositions and solid loading studied and resulted in a less dense packing of cast samples. However, for the composite with 10.5 vol% ZN a high sintered density and a smaller ZrO₂ grain size distribution compared with the conventional powder mixing route could be obtained.     

Sintering and mechanical properties of tricalcium phosphate–fluorapatite composites

Tricalcium phosphate and synthesized fluorapatite powder were mixed in order to elaborate biphasic ceramics composites. The effect of fluorapatite addition on the densification and the mechanical properties of tricalcium phosphate were measured with the change in composition and microstructure of the bioceramic. The Brazilian test was used to measure the mechanical resistance of the tricalcium phosphate–26.52 wt% fluorapatite composites. The densification and rupture strength increase versus sintering temperature. The composites have a good sinterability and rupture strength in temperature ranging between 1300 and 1400 °C. Thus, the densification ultimate was obtained at 1350 °C and the mechanical resistance optimum reached 9.6 MPa at 1400 °C. Above 1400 °C, the densification and the mechanical properties were hindered by the allotropic transformation of tricalcium phosphate, grain growth and the formation of both intragranular porosity and many cracks. The ³¹P magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of composites reveals the presence of tetrahedral P sites.     

Silicon carbide–titanium diboride ceramic composites

The effect of TiB₂ content on mechanical properties of silicon carbide–titanium diboride ceramic composites was studied. The hardness of the ceramics decreased from 27.8 GPa for nominally pure SiC to 24.4 GPa for nominally pure TiB₂. In contrast, fracture toughness of the ceramics increased from 2.1 MPa m^1/2 for SiC to ～6 MPa m^1/2 for SiC with TiB₂ contents of 40 vol.% or higher. Flexure strengths were measured for three composites containing 15, 20, and 40 vol.% TiB₂ and analyzed using a two parameter Weibull analysis. The Weibull modulus increased from 12 for 15 vol.% TiB₂ to 17 for 20 and 40 vol.% TiB₂. Microstructural analysis revealed microcracking in the ceramics containing 20 and 40 vol.% TiB₂. The ceramic containing 40 vol.% TiB₂ had the best combination of properties with a fracture toughness of 6.2 MPa m^1/2, hardness of 25.3 GPa, Weibull modulus of 17, and a strength of 423 MPa.     

Boron nitride–silicon carbide interphase boundaries in silicon nitride–silicon carbide particulate composites

Interphase boundaries between SiC and h-BN grains in hot isostatically pressed Si₃N₄–SiC particulate composites made from both as-received powders and deoxidised powders, in which sub-micron size h-BN particles occur as a contaminant, have been characterised using transmission electron microscopy techniques. Most of the h-BN grains observed were aligned with respect to SiC grains so that (111) 3C SiC and (0001) α-SiC planes were parallel to (0001) h-BN planes. The h-BN–SiC interphase boundaries in the composites made from as-received powders were covered with thin silica-rich intergranular films, in contrast to the interphase boundaries in the composites made from deoxidised powders. These observations are discussed in the light of models for the formation of intergranular amorphous films in ceramic materials, geometric considerations for low interfacial energies and the possible bonding at h-BN–SiC interphase boundaries free of intergranular films.     

Effects of excess boron on combustion synthesis of alumina–tantalum boride composites

TaB- and TaB₂–Al₂O₃ in situ composites were fabricated by thermite-incorporated combustion synthesis from the powder mixtures of different combinations, including Ta₂O₅–Al–B, Ta₂O₅–Al–B₂O₃–B, and Ta₂O₅–B₂O₃–Al. Effects of excess boron were studied on the combustion dynamics and phase constituents of final products. For the B₂O₃-containing samples, the reaction was less exothermic and aluminothermic reduction of Ta₂O₅ and B₂O₃ was less complete, resulting in the deficiency of boron and the presence of TaO₂ and Ta. For the samples containing elemental boron, the occurrence of borothermic reduction of Ta₂O₅ also caused the loss of boron. Experimental evidence showed that boron in excess of the stoichiometric amount substantially enhanced the formation of tantalum borides, which in turn facilitated the reduction of Ta₂O₅ by Al. Consequently, the samples rich with boron in the molar proportions of Ta₂O₅:Al:B=3:10:9 and 3:10:16 (i.e., B/Ta=1.5 and 2.67) were found to be the optimum stoichiometries of producing TaB- and TaB₂–Al₂O₃ composites through a self-sustaining combustion process.     

Additive manufacturing of continuous carbon fiber–reinforced silicon carbide ceramic composites

A material extrusion (MEX) technology has been developed for the additive manufacturing of continuous carbon fiber–reinforced silicon carbide ceramic (C_f/SiC) composites. By comparing and analyzing the rheological properties of the slurries with different compositions, a slurry with a high solid loading of 48.1 vol% and high viscosity was proposed. Furthermore, several complex structures of C_f/SiC ceramic composites were printed by this MEX additive manufacturing technique. Phenolic resin impregnation–carbonization process reduces the apparent porosity of the green body and protects the C_f. Finally, the reactive melting infiltration (RMI) process was used to prepare samples with different C_f contents from 0 to 2 K (a bundle of carbon fibers consisting of 1000 fibers). Samples with C_f content of 1 K show the highest bending strength (161.6 ± 10.5 MPa) and fracture toughness (3.72 ± 0.11 MPa·m^1/2) while the thermal conductivity of the samples with the C_f content of 1 K reached 11.0 W/(m·K). This study provides a strategy to prepare C_f/SiC composites via MEX additive manufacturing and RMI.     

Corrosion behaviour of silicon carbide–diamond composite materials in aqueous solutions

The corrosion behaviour of the relatively new silicon carbide bonded diamond materials (ScD) was investigated in NaOH, H₂SO₄ and hydrothermal conditions and compared with that of conventional SSiC and SiSiC-materials. The corrosion resistance increases with decreasing diamond grain size. In H₂SO₄ all investigated materials show a very high corrosion resistance, whereas in NaOH and under hydrothermal conditions above 100 °C some leaching of residual silicon takes place. Nevertheless the fine grained ScD material exhibits a residual strength of 400 MPa after 200 h corrosion in NaOH at 90 °C. Under the same conditions the strength of the SiSiC-material reduces to 50 MPa. The silicon carbide-diamond composites demonstrate corrosion resistance superior to SiSiC and wear properties analogous to that of conventional superhard materials. This material would therefore be suitable for use in demanding corrosive wear applications.     

Dispersion,rheology and aqueous tape casting of alumina–zirconia composites

Abstract

Alumina and zirconia were dispersed individually in aqueous media using Darvan C as the dispersant and at optimised pH condition. Based on sedimentation, rheology, yield stress, electrodeposition and zeta potential measurements, 2 wt-% of the dispersant and a pH of 10·5 were found to be the optimum condition for the codispersion of alumina and zirconia. Aqueous tape casting slurries with a solid loading of 32 wt-% were prepared under the optimised conditions of dispersion. Alumina–zirconia (50 : 50) composite tapes of 40 μm thickness and 56% green density were obtained.     

Processing and properties of sol gel derived alumina–carbon nano tube composites

High purity alumina–carbon nano tube (CNT) composites were prepared by an aqueous sol–gel processing route. CNTs were dispersed in alumina sol containing appropriate amount of MgO precursor. Aqueous slurry of alumina was seeded into the sol followed by gelation, drying and calcination at 1000 °C for 1 h. The calcined powder consisting of alumina-coated CNTs and alumina was milled, sieved, dried, pressed and pressureless sintered at 1400–1600 °C for 1 h in nitrogen atmosphere. Sintered samples were further isostatically hot pressed at 1300 °C and the properties were compared with the pressureless sintered samples. Phase formation was followed by XRD study, CNT retention was confirmed by Raman studies and the samples were further characterized for mechanical and microstructural properties.     

Elastic properties and damping behavior of alumina–zirconia composites at room temperature

Alumina–zirconia composite ceramics (AZ composites) have been prepared in the whole range of compositions from pure alumina to zirconia (in steps of 10 vol.%) by slip casting, followed by sintering at 1350 °C and microstructural characterization via the Archimedes method (relative densities 0.93–0.99). Young's modulus has been measured at room temperature via the impulse excitation technique (IET) and, after appropriate porosity correction (linear, power-law, exponential), found to be in good agreement with the Hashin–Shtrikman bounds. The damping factor (internal friction), which has been measured for dense AZ composites (also via IET at room temperature), is found to increase with increasing zirconia content. Damping factors measured for porous AZ composites with porosities 25–71%, prepared with corn starch as a pore former, have been found to depend only slightly on porosity, unless the porosities are extremely high (>70%). At these porosities, however, where the Young's moduli approach zero, the damping factors exhibit a steep increase.