Sintering Behavior of Fully Agglomerated Zirconia Compacts

Fully agglomerated superfine zirconia powders were prepared with the coprecipitation and spray-drying method. The compaction of such powders shows no fragmentation of the agglomerates. The sintering behavior of the compacts was studied and two sintering stages were identified: densification within agglomerates at temperatures not higher than 1250°C and the removal of interagglomerate pores at temperatures above 1600°C. The interagglomerate pores are difficult to remove, and sintering between agglomerates even at 1600°C is still insignificant. Heating of the compacts at temperatures above 1600°C leads only to grain growth and the entrapping of pores in large grains.