Effects of deagglomeration and zirconia wear debris on sintering behavior of α-alumina powder

This work investigates sintering behaviors of α-alumina powder that were treated by attrition milling with zirconia media. While zirconia wear debris delays initial sintering shrinkage and increases the temperature to reach the maximum shrinkage rate, the agglomerates also influence the final sintering. The final density of the sintered bulk is limited because of the existence of pores among agglomerates. Zirconia wear debris effectively inhibits the grain growth of alumina during the sintering. Varying the degree of deagglomeration and the amounts of zirconia wear debris together can control the microstructure during the final stage of the sintering.