On the wide range of mechanical properties of ZTA and ATZ based dental ceramic composites by varying the Al2O3 and ZrO2 content

In this work the influence of pressureless sintering on the Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of ZrO₂ reinforced with Al₂O₃ particles (ATZ) and Al₂O₃ reinforced with ZrO₂ particles (ZTA) has been investigated. The ceramic composites were produced by means of uniaxial compacting at 50 MPa and the green compacts were heated to 1250 °C using a heating rate of 10 °C min⁻¹, then to 1500 °C at 6 °C min⁻¹ and maintained at this temperature during 2 h. After sintering, relative density over 94%, hardness values between 9.5 and 21.9 GPa, and fracture toughness as high as 3.6 MPa m^1/2 were obtained. The presence of TZ-3Y particles on the grain boundaries suggests that they inhibit notably the alumina grain growth. The grain sizes of pure Al₂O₃ and TZ-3Y as well as Al₂O₃ and TZ-3Y in the 20 wt% Al₂O₃+80 wt% TZ-3Y composite were 1.27 ± 0.51 μm, 0.57 ± 0.12 μm, 0.65 ± 0.19 μm and 0.41 ± 0.14 μm, respectively. The 20 wt% Al₂O₃ + 80 wt% ZrO₂ + 3 mol% Y₂O₃ (TZ-3Y) composite showed a hardness of 16.05 GPa and the maximum fracture toughness (7.44 MPa m^1/2) with an average grain size of 0.53 ± 0.17 μm. On the other side, the submicron grain size and residual porosity seem to be responsible for the high hardness and fracture toughness obtained. The reported values were higher than those obtained by other authors and are in concordance with international standards that could be suitable for dental applications.     

Mechanical properties of the plasma-sprayed Al2O3/ZrSiO4 coatings

The mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed Al₂O₃/ZrSiO₄ coatings were investigated by indentation-based techniques. Two types of feedstock were used to prepare the coatings: spray-dried powders and plasma-spheroidized powders. A 100-kW direct current (d.c.) thermal plasma system was employed. The values obtained were found to exhibit a close relationship with the microstructure of the as-sprayed coatings, which composed of zircon, alumina, amorphous silica and tetragonal zirconia. The coatings produced with plasma-spheroidized powders had higher microhardness, Young's modulus and fracture toughness than that produced with the spray-dried powders. The coatings produced with plasma-spheroidized powders by a 100-kW computerized system at 15 kW of net plasma energy had the best mechanical properties, while those deposited at 19 kW of net plasma energy had the worst properties due to the high density of cracks in the coatings.     

Microstructure and tribological behavior of suspension plasma sprayed Al2O3 and Al2O3-YSZ composite coatings

Several alumina and alumina-zirconia composite coatings were manufactured by suspension plasma spraying (SPS), implementing different operating conditions in order to achieve dense and cohesive structures. Temperatures and velocities of the in flight particles were measured with a commercial diagnostic system (Accuraspray®) at the spray distance as a function of the plasma operating parameters. Temperatures around 2000 °C and velocities as high as 450 m/s were detected. Hence, coatings with high amount of α-alumina phase were produced. The microstructure evolution according to the spray parameters was studied as well as the final tribological properties showing efficient wear resistance.     

Bulk WC-Al2O3 composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

WC and WC-Al₂O₃ materials without metallic binder addition were densified by spark plasma sintering in the range of 1800-1900 °C. The densification behavior, phase constitution, microstructure and mechanical properties of pure WC and WC-Al₂O₃ composite were investigated. The addition of Al₂O₃ facilitates sintering and increases the fracture toughness of the composites to a certain extent. An interesting phenomenon is found that a proper content of Al₂O₃ additive helps to limit the formation of W₂C phase in sintered WC materials. The pure WC specimen possesses a hardness (HV₁₀) of 25.71 GPa, fracture toughness of 4.54 MPa·m^1/2, and transverse fracture strength of 862 MPa, while those of WC-6.8 vol.% Al₂O₃ composites are 24.48 GPa, 6.01 MPa·m^1/2, and 1245 MPa respectively. The higher fracture toughness and transverse fracture strength of WC-6.8 vol.% Al₂O₃ are thought to result from the reduction of W₂C phase, the crack-bridging by Al₂O₃ particles and the local change in fracture mode from intergranular to transgranular.     

Fast consolidation of a nanocrystalline Al2O3 reinforced 3.7Fe0.54Cr0.18Al0.26Si0.016 composite from mechanical synthesized powder through pulsed current activated heating

Nanopowders of Fe_0.54Cr_0.18Al_0.26Si_0.016 and Al₂O₃ were synthesized from Fe₂O₃, Cr, Si, and Al powders using high-energy ball milling. A high-density nanocrystalline 3.7Fe_0.54Cr_0.18Al_0.26Si_0.016-Al₂O₃ composite was consolidated with mechanically synthesized powders of Al₂O₃ and 3.7Fe_0.54Cr_0.18Al_0.26Si_0.016-Al₂O₃ through a pulsed current activated sintering (PCAS) method within 1 min. The hardness of the composite and the average grain sizes of Al₂O₃ and Fe_0.54Cr_0.18Al_0.26Si_0.016 were investigated.     

Properties of ZrO2–Al2O3 composite as a function of isothermal holding time

Zirconia and alumina based ceramics present interesting properties for their application as implants, such as biocompatibility, good fracture resistance, as well as high fracture toughness and hardness. In this work the influence of sintering time on the properties of a ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ composite material, containing 20 wt% of Al₂O₃, has been investigated. The ceramic composites were obtained by sintering, in air, at 1600 °C for sintering times between 0 and 1440 min. Sintered samples were characterized by microstructure and crystalline phases, as well as by mechanical properties. The grain growth exponents, n, for the ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃ were 2.8 and 4.1, respectively, indicating that different mechanisms are responsible for grain growth of each phase. After sintering at 1600 °C, the material exhibited a dependency of hardness as function of sintering time, with hardness values between 1500 HV (120 min) and 1310 HV (1440 min) and a fracture toughness of 8 MPa m^1/2, which makes it suitable for bioapplications, such as dental implants.     

Densification and mechanical properties of fine-grained Al2O3-ZrO2 composites consolidated by spark plasma sintering

Alumina matrix composites containing 5 and 10 wt% of ZrO₂ were sintered under 100 MPa pressure by spark plasma sintering process. Alumina powder with an average particle size of 600 nm and yttria-stabilized zirconia with 16 at% of Y₂O₃ and with a particle size of 40 nm were used as starting materials. The influence of ZrO₂ content and sintering temperature on microstructures and mechanical properties of the composites were investigated. All samples could be fully densified at a temperature lower than 1400 °C. The microstructure analysis indicated that the alumina grains had no significant growth (alumina size controlled in submicron level 0.66-0.79 μm), indicating that the zirconia particles provided a hindering effect on the grain growth of alumina. Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of composites increased with increasing ZrO₂ content, and the samples containing 10 wt% of ZrO₂ had the highest Vickers hardness of 18 GPa (5 kg load) and fracture toughness of 5.1 MPa m^1/2.     

The effect of particle size,sintering temperature and sintering time on the properties of Al–Al2O3 composites,made by powder metallurgy

Al₂O₃ is a major reinforcement in aluminum-based composites, which have been developing rapidly in recent years. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of alumina particle size, sintering temperature and sintering time on the properties of Al–Al₂O₃ composite. The average particle size of alumina were 3, 12 and 48 μm. Sintering temperature and time were in the range of 500–600 °C for 30–90 min. A correlation is established between the microstructure and mechanical properties. The investigated properties include density, hardness, microstructure, yield strength, compressive strength and elongation to fracture. It has been concluded that as the particle size of alumina is reduced, the density is increased followed by a fall in density. In addition, at low particle size, the hardness and yield strength and compressive strength and elongation to fracture were higher, compared to coarse particles size of alumina. The variations in properties of Al–Al₂O₃ composite are dependent on both sintering temperature and time. Prolonged sintering times had an adverse effect on the strength of the composite.     

Fabrication of free standing 316-L stainless steel–Al2O3 composite micro machine parts by soft moulding

This paper presents a successful method for fabricating high-quality stainless steel–alumina composite micro machine parts using a soft moulding technique. The fabrication process starts with the production of SU-8 master moulds using a photolithography technique, followed by mirror replication of PDMS soft moulds, preparation of composite slurry using superfine 316-L stainless steel (5 μm) and α-alumina powder (400 nm) in 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 wt.%, filling the moulds, obtaining the green parts, debinding and sintering. The fabrication process was investigated in detail and the optimum dispersant and binder was obtained. The process resulted in high-quality composite micro parts that retain the very detailed features of the SU-8 master moulds. The density and micro hardness of the sintered parts were also investigated for the different composite compositions. The hardness of the stainless steel composite was improved by about 1.8 times that of the pure 316-L stainless materials by the addition of 10% alumina.     

Study of polycrystalline Al2O3 machining cracks using discrete element method

Discrete element method (DEM) was introduced to simulate crack initiation and propagation of polycrystalline alumina during the brittle model machining process. A bonded particle model (BPM) was employed in the DEM simulations procedure to generate a particle assembly system similar to the micro-structure of the polycrystalline alumina. Particle and parallel bond properties, which were calibrated through a series of numerical tests, were subsequently used in the simulations of polycrystalline alumina cutting process and scratching tests. It is found that the cracks initiated right under or in front of the machining tool. There were many micro-cracks remained on the machined surface, some of them propagated downwards to form macro-cracks or forwards to lead material removal. Both DEM simulations and acoustic emission measure experiments have found that the fracture became acute when the normal and the tangential force changed suddenly, causing the crack number to increase. In 3D DEM scratching simulation, the surface cracks length and subsurface cracks depth linearly increased with the scratching depth, the value agreed well with the experimental results, and the surface-damage width decreased gradually with the depth to the surface, looking like half of a coin.     

国外多孔基体氧化铝/氧化铝复合材料工程应用进展

氧化铝/氧化铝复合材料(Al2O3/Al2O3)是20世纪90年代兴起的一类连续陶瓷纤维增强陶瓷基复合材料,已经发展为与SiC/SiC、C/SiC等非氧化物陶瓷基复合材料并列的一类陶瓷基复合材料。与非氧化物陶瓷基复合材料相比,Al2O3/Al2O3具有长时抗氧化、高温耐腐蚀、低成本等独特优势,已经在航空发动机、地面燃气轮机等军民两用热结构材料领域展现出广阔的应用前景。本文从材料应用的角度出发,系统分析阐述了目前在Al2O3/Al2O3占主导地位的多孔基体Al2O3/Al2O3(P-Al2O3/Al2O3)的增韧机制、成型工艺和性能特点,重点归纳了国外近年来P-Al2O3/Al2O3的工程化应用进展及前景,最后指出了P-Al2O3/Al2O3存在的局限性并展望了未来发展方向,旨在为国内Al2O3/Al2O3体系发展提供借鉴和参考。     

Processing and properties of ZrO2(3Y2O3)–Al2O3 nanocomposites

Nanocomposites of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), containing 20 and 40 wt% alumina, were prepared by a two-step process: (1) fine-particle aggregates of the constituent phases were melted and homogenized in a high enthalpy plasma, prior to rapid quenching in water to obtain metastable starting powders, and (2) the metastable powders were consolidated by hot isostatic pressing (HIP), under conditions designed to ensure the formation of nanocomposites by controlling the metastable-to-stable phase transformation during sintering. In both cases, the resulting nanocomposites had completely uniform structures, comprising 27 and 50 vol% of -Al₂O₃ in a tetragonal YSZ matrix phase. Measurements of hardness and indentation toughness were correlated with observed structures.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al2O3-Cr2O3 composite coatings produced by atmospheric plasma spraying

Al₂O₃, Al₂O₃-Cr₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ coatings were deposited by atmospheric plasma spraying. Phase composition of powders and as-sprayed coatings was determined by X-ray diffraction. Electron probe microanalyzer was employed to investigate the polished and fractured surface morphologies of the coatings. Mechanical properties including microhardness, fracture toughness and bending strength were evaluated. The results indicate that the addition of Cr₂O₃ is conducive to the stabilization of α-Al₂O₃. Compared with the pure Al₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ coatings, Al₂O₃-Cr₂O₃ composite coatings show lower porosities and denser structures. Heterogeneous nucleation of α-Al₂O₃ occurs over the isostructural Cr₂O₃ lamellae and partial solid solution of Al₂O₃ and Cr₂O₃ might be occurring as well. Furthermore, grain refining and solid solution strengthening facilitate the mechanical property enhancement of Al₂O₃-Cr₂O₃ composite coatings.     

Mechanical synthesis and rapid consolidation of a nanocrystalline 3.3Fe0.6Cr0.3Al0.1-Al2O3 composite by high frequency induction heating

Nanopowders of 3.3Fe_0.6Cr_0.3Al_0.1 and Al₂O₃ were synthesized from Fe₂O₃, Cr, and Al powders by high-energy ball milling. A high density nanocrystalline 3.3Fe_0.6Cr_0.3Al_0.1-Al₂O₃ composite was consolidated by a high frequency induction heated sintering (HFIHS) method within 3 min from mechanically synthesized powders of Al₂O₃ and 3.3Fe_0.6Cr_0.3Al_0.1. The average grain sizes of Al₂O₃ and 3.3Fe_0.6Cr_0.3Al_0.1 were 84 and 32 nm, respectively.     

Al_2O_3含量对等离子喷涂TiO_2-Al_2O_3陶瓷涂层组织性能的影响

采用大气等离子喷涂方法制备TiO2–Al2O3陶瓷涂层,利用SEM和XRD分析了涂层的显微组织和相结构,并研究了涂层的电阻率随温度变化的规律。研究结果表明:TiO2–Al2O3陶瓷涂层主要由金红石型TiO2、锐钛矿型TiO2、Magneli相、α–Al2O3及γ–Al2O3组成。涂层的显微硬度和电阻率随Al2O3含量的增加而增加,在通电升温条件下涂层的电阻率随温度升高而降低。     

Compressive strength, hardness and fracture toughness of Al2O3 whiskers reinforced ZTA and ATZ nanocomposites: Weibull analysis

The aim of this investigation was to study the variability in compressive strength, fracture toughness and microhardness applying the well-known Weibull statistics and to be able to provide a wide spectrum of mechanical properties in Al₂O₃ whisker reinforced alumina toughened zirconia (ATZ) and zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) nanocomposites for possible dental applications. Uniaxial compression tests at room temperature of samples 6.35 ± 0.03 mm in diameter and 12.50 ± 0.63 mm in length and Vickers hardness measurements on polished surfaces were carried out. The indentation fracture toughness (K_IC) was derived from the average crack length. Weibull analysis was performed on the data. The ATZ2 (18.0 wt.% Al₂O₃ + 2.0 wt.%_(w) + 80.0 wt.% ZrO₂ (TZ-3Y)) nanocomposite reported the highest average compressive load of 1200 MPa, the highest value of characteristic strength, σ_o, of 1340 MPa with Weibull modulus of 3.25 and relatively high fracture toughness (4.7 ± 0.7 MPa m^1/2), suggesting that with the wide range of mechanical properties obtained in our work, different dental applications could be offered without lead to premature failure.     

Preparation and properties of gradient Al2O3-ZrO2 ceramic foam by centrifugal slip casting method

The aim of the present research is to provide a novel technique for preparing gradient Al 2 O 3-ZrO 2 ceramic foams.This technique used epispastic polystyrene spheres to array templates and centrifugal slip casting to obtain cell struts with gradient distribution of Al 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 particles and high packing density.Aqueous Al 2 O 3-20vol.% ZrO 2 slurries with 20vol.% solid contents were prepared and the dispersion and rheological characteristics of the slurries were investigated.The settling velocity and mass segregation of Al 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 particles at different centrifugal accelerations were calculated and studied.The drying behavior,macrostructure,microstructure,compressive property and resistance to thermal shock of the sintered products were also investigated.The results show that the difference of settling velocity of Al 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 particles increases and mass segregation becomes acute with an increase in centrifugal acceleration.The cell struts prepared at a centrifugal acceleration of 1,690 g have high sintered density(99.0% TD) and continuous gradient distribution of Al 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 particles.When sintered at 1,550 o C for 2 h,the cell size of gradient Al 2 O 3-ZrO 2 foam is approximately uniform,about 1.1 mm.With the porosity of gradient Al 2 O 3-ZrO 2 ceramic foams increasing from 75.3% to 83.0%,the compressive strength decreases from 4.4 to 2.4 MPa,and the ceramic foams can resist 8-11 repeated thermal shock from 1,100 o C to room temperature.     

Synthesis and characterization of Al2O3-Ce0.5Zr0.5O2 powders prepared by chemical coprecipitation method

Al₂O₃-Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ catalytic powders were synthesized by the coprecipitation (ACZ-C) and mechanical mixing (ACZ-M) methods, respectively. As-synthesized powders were characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, surface area and thermogravimetric analyses. It was found that the mixing extent of Al³⁺ ions affected the phase development, texture and oxygen storage capacity (OSC) of the Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ powder. Single phase of ACZ-C could be maintained without phase separation and inhibit α-Al₂O₃ formation up to 1200 °C. The specific surface area value of ACZ-C (81.5 m²/g) was larger than that of ACZ-M (62.1 m²/g) and Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ (17.1 m²/g) powders, which were calcined at 1000 °C. In comparison with ACZ-C and Al₂O₃, which were calcined at high temperature (900–1200 °C), it was found that the degradation rate of specific surface area of ACZ-C was lower than that of Al₂O₃. ACZ-C sample showed a higher thermal stability to resist phase separation and crystallite growth, which enhanced the oxygen storage capacity property for Ce_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ powders.     

Effect of sintering on microstructure and mechanical properties of nano-TiO2 dispersed Al65Cu20Ti15 amorphous/nanocrystalline matrix composite

Mechanically alloyed Al₆₅Cu₂₀Ti₁₅ amorphous alloy powder with or without 10 wt% nano-TiO₂ dispersion was consolidated by isothermal spark plasma sintering in the range 200–500 °C with pressure up to 50 MPa. Selected samples were separately cold compacted with 50 MPa pressure and sintered at 500 °C using controlled atmosphere resistance and microwave heating furnaces. Phase and microstructural evolution at appropriate stages of mechanical alloying/blending and sintering was monitored by X-ray diffraction and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Measurement and comparison of relevant properties (density/porosity, microhardness and yield strength) of the sintered compacts suggest that spark plasma sintering is the most appropriate technique for developing nano-TiO₂ dispersed amorphous/nanocrystalline Al₆₅Cu₂₀Ti₁₅ matrix composite for structural application.