Creep of polycrystalline alumina,pure and doped with transition metal impurities

Grain size effects were used to evaluate the relative contributions of aluminium lattice and oxygen grain boundary diffusion to the high temperature (1350 to 1550° C) steady state creep of polycrystalline alumina, pure and doped with transition metal impurities (Cr, Fe). Divalent iron in solid solution was found to enhance both aluminium lattice and oxygen grain-boundary diffusion. Large concentrations of divalent iron led to viscous Coble creep which was rate-limited entirely by oxygen grain-boundary diffusion. Nabarro-Herring creep which was rate-limited by aluminium lattice diffusion was observed in pure and chromium-doped material. Chromium additions had no effect on diffusional creep rates but significantly depressed non-viscous creep modes of deformation. Creep deformation maps were constructed at various iron dopant concentrations to illustrate the relative contributions of aluminium grain boundary, aluminium lattice, and oxygen grain-boundary diffusion to the diffusional creep of polycrystalline alumina.