Rapid consolidation of nanostuctured Al2O3 by high frequency induction heated sintering

Abstract

The rapid sintering of nanostuctured Al2O3 hard materials in a short time was investigated with a high-frequency induction heating sintering process. The advantage of this process is that it allows very quick densification to near theoretical density and prohibition of grain growth in nanostuctured materials. A dense nanostructured Al2O3 hard material with a relative density of up to 99.8% was produced with simultaneous application of 80 MPa pressure and induced current output of total power capacity (15 kW) within 2 minutes. The effect of ball milling time on the sintering behavior, grain size and mechanical properties of binderless Al2O3 was investigated.