Oscillatory pressure sintering of Al2O3 ceramics

Herein, Al2O3 ceramics are sintered by oscillatory pressure sintering (OPS) and hot pressing (HP) at different temperatures. The density and grain size of OPS- and HP-processed Al2O3 ceramics are measured and analyzed using existing models. Results reveal that OPS-processed Al2O3 ceramics exhibit high density and small grain size likely due to plastic deformation. Moreover, OPS-sintered Al2O3 ceramics render higher hardness and fracture strength than HP-sintered Al2O3 ceramics, which can be ascribed to high density and small grain size, respectively. These results demonstrate that sintering behavior and mechanical properties of Al2O3 ceramics can be improved by OPS.