Effect of diopside addition on sintering and mechanical properties of alumina

In this paper, diopside was introduced in alumina as a sintering aid and fine structural alumina matrix ceramic materials were fabricated by pressureless sintering. The relative density, hardness, fracture toughness and bending strength of the new fabricated composites were measured. Tribological tests were carried out at a given rotation speed of 160 rpm and in a normal load ranged from 50 to 200 N. The experiment results show that the introduction of diopside can enhance densification rate, which may contribute to the improvement in mechanical properties and result in enhanced wear resistances. The effects of diopside on mechanical properties and microstructures of fine structural alumina matrix ceramic materials were analyzed and discussed.