Effects of sintering temperature on mechanical properties of Ti/Al₂O₃ composites

Titanium/aluminum oxide (Ti/Al₂O₃) composites were fabricated by a vacuum hot-pressing sintering technique at the sintering temperature in the range of 1420–1480°C. The dependence of the sintering temperature on the mechanical properties of the composites was discussed. The results showed that the mechanical properties, the microstructure and the phase constitution of the composites exhibited dependence on the sintering temperature. When the sintering temperature is 1450°C, the composites, with 3 vol% cerium (IV) oxide (CeO₂), showed the best mechanical property. The relative density, Vickers hardness, flexural strength and fracture toughness of the composites were 98·7%, 16·4 GPa, 487·2 MPa and 6·88 MPa m^1/2 respectively. When the sintering temperature was 1480°C, the mechanical property of the composite decreased significantly, which was mainly attributed to the abnormal grain growth due to the over sintering phenomenon.