Quantitative characterization of the microstructure of two-phase TiB2+Al2O3 ceramics using mean integral curvature

Two-phase TiB₂+Al₂O₃ ceramics with an interconnected or dispersed TiB₂ (minor)-phase microstructure can be produced by variations in processing parameters. A standard method of quantitative characterization of the microstructural bias, i.e., the degree of TiB₂ phase connectivity relative to its dispersion, is necessary to comprehend the mechanism(s) controlling the evolution of microstructure during processing. In this work, techniques derived from stereology were used to quantitatively characterize the microstructural bias on the basis of the connectivity and dispersion of the minor phase (TiB₂), in addition to the size of the TiB₂- and Al₂O₃-phase regions. The mean integral curvature calculated using the area particle-count and area tangent-count methods was determined to quantitatively describe the connectivity of the TiB₂ minor phase around the Al₂O₃ major phase. The results illustrate that, in spite of partial and mixed bias, integral curvature measurements (particularly those based on the area tangent-count method) provide a reliable and reproducible means for quantitative characterization of the two-phase biased microstructure.