Ultrasonic and Mechanical Behavior of Green and Partially Sintered Alumina: Effects of Slurry Consolidation Chemistry

Abstract

Green and partially sintered compacts of alpha‐Al 2 O 3 powder were made by filtration of aqueous suspensions under three conditions: ( i ) electrostatic stabilization without any organic additive, ( ii ) strong flocculation near the isoelectric point without any organic additive, and ( iii ) weak flocculation by the use of maltodextrin or oxalic acid additives. We evaluated relationships between the macroscopic and interparticle mechanical behavior of these compacts using model correlations with measurements of diametral compression, ultrasonic velocity, and ultrasonic attenuation. Although type iii green specimens were less dense than type i , type iii exhibited significant increases in velocity, macroscopic Young's modulus, interparticle‐contact stiffness, and diametral compressive strength, suggesting that the mechanism of stiffening/strengthening entailed interparticle bridging of maltodextrin or oxalic acid. These properties were significantly reduced upon heating type iii specimens to 500°C, suggesting that pyrolysis of surface‐adsorbed maltodextrin and oxalic acid may have reduced the interparticle stiffness and strength. In contrast, negligible changes in these properties occurred upon heating type i specimens to the same temperature. Despite small increases in packing density, significant decreases in attenuation and significant increases in velocity, interparticle‐contact stiffness, and Young's modulus occurred upon heating all specimens to greaterthan equal to700°C, suggesting the formation of interparticle necks by solid‐state sintering.