Sintering and microstructural investigation of gamma–alpha alumina powders

Sintering behaviors of commercially available alumina powders were investigated using constant-heating rate dilatometric experiments. Each powder had different proportion of alpha/gamma alumina. Densification behaviors of powders were studied up to 1600 °C with three different heating rates of 1, 3.3 and 6.6 °C/min. Compacts of different gamma content alumina powders exhibited systematic anomalous second peaks in the densification rate curves at certain heating rates and temperatures. At 3.3 °C/min heating rate experiments, densification curves of 10% gamma phase alumina powder compacts reached a plateau after 1450 °C, and did not increase any further at higher temperatures. This phenomenon was double checked to understand powder behavior during sintering. 10% gamma phase alumina powder compacts showed the highest density for each heating rate. It reached 94% theoretical density with 1 °C/min heating rate. But 20% gamma phase alumina powder compacts had the finest grain size of about 1.40 μm. Final density and porosity of compacts were also tested by image analysis and the results were coherent with Archimedes results.