Influence of the Dopants on the Mechanical Properties of Alumina-Based Ceramics

In the present study the mechanical properties of dense alumina-based ceramics obtained by two processing routes are investigated. The application of magnetic-pulsed compaction or hot pressing of the powder leads to a comparable combination of microhardness, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness. The insertion of Al into Al2O3 powder increases the microdistortions of the crystalline lattice, resulting in the sufficient decrease of indentation wear-resistance. The usage of ZrO2 or TiCN as dopants to alumina matrix improves slightly the mechanics of the composites with a noticeable decrease of the material lost by 30% compared to pure alumina at closely spaced arrays of indents. Regardless of the synthesis method, the ceramic grains were formed completely with the fracture travelling along the grain boundaries.