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Effects of Zirconium Oxide on the Reaction Bonding of Aluminum Oxide
Author(s) -
Sheedy Paul M.,
Caram Hugo S.,
Chan Helen M.,
Harmer Martin P.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of the american ceramic society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.9
H-Index - 196
eISSN - 1551-2916
pISSN - 0002-7820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1151-2916.2001.tb00779.x
Subject(s) - exothermic reaction , materials science , oxide , microstructure , zirconium , thermogravimetric analysis , aluminium , reactivity (psychology) , metallurgy , aluminum oxide , ceramic , chemical engineering , inorganic chemistry , chemistry , organic chemistry , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , engineering
In the reaction‐bonded aluminum oxide (RBAO) process, attrition‐milled Al/Al 2 O 3 powder compacts are reacted in air to form Al 2 O 3 ‐based ceramics. Typically, ZrO 2 powder is added to control the final microstructure and properties, resulting in fine‐grained, high‐strength materials. In this study, the effects of ZrO 2 on the reactivity of RBAO samples were examined using thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffractometry, and other techniques. Previously, it was shown that a self‐propagating reaction could occur during firing of RBAO in air. This reaction was attributed solely to the fast and highly exothermic oxidation of the aluminum on the surface of the sample, but the results of the current study show that it is related to a reaction between aluminum and ZrO 2 , forming Al 2 O 3 and Al 3 Zr. As a consequence, a new reaction sequence for RBAO consistent with these observations has been proposed.