Pressureless sintering of Al2O3-TiCN composites

Abstract

A composition of 70 wt % Al2O3 + 30 wt % TiCN was prepared and pressureless-sintered at temperatures ranging from 1700 to 1840degreesC. In order to achieve densification, a powder bed was also employed. The resultant microstructures were investigated using XRD and SEM techniques. In addition, Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of the representative samples were measured. The results showed that sintering in powder bed at 1840degreesC made it possible to obtain 99 % of the theoretical density.