Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Titanium-Copper Reinforced Alumina Composites

Abstract

Al2o3 Is Considered As A Valuable Industrial Material And The Most Widely Used Ceramic. It Possesses Good Mechanical Properties However, Its Applications As A Structural Material Have Been Limited By It Low Fracture Toughness And Low-Fracture Strength. This Is Because Cracks Easily Propagate In This Ceramics And Therefore They Might Fail Unpredictably In Service. The Main Objective Of This Work Was Demonstrating The Effect Of Reinforcing Ti And Cu Metallic Particles In To Al2o3 To Overcome Its Limitations On The Above Application Areas And Improve Its Mechanical Properties. The Synthesis Of Al2o3-Based Composites Having Different Amount Of Fine Titanium And Copper Reinforcement Particles Was Investigated And Ti And Cu Metallic Particles Were Reinforced To Al2o3 With Different Compositions. The Powders Were First Prepared With The Appropriate Stoichiometric Ratio, Milled In Order To Create A Homogeneous Distribution Of Particles And Reduction Of Size, The Milled Powder Was Then Compacted To Form A Green Body Which Is Finally Sintered At 1100oc, 1200oc And 1300oc For 2 And 3 Hours For A Better Densification And Reduction Of Porosity. For The Samples With 3%Ti-3%Cu And 3%Ti-2%Cu The Controlled Grain Growth And The Homogeneous Distribution Of Ti And Cu Along With The Better Wettability Of Cu With Ti Accentuate The Obtainment Of Dense Bodies With Homogeneous Microstructures, Which Leds To A Better Density And Fracture Toughness As Well As Better Electrical Resistance. Therefore, This Study Proves That A Controlled Reinforcement Of Ti And Cu Can Significantly Improves The Mechanical Properties Of Al2o3, Specifically The Fracture Toughness