Sintering Shrinkage Anisotropy of Spherical Alumina Powder Compacts with Particle Orientation

Abstract

Spherical alumina powder and dispersant were mixed with distilled and deionized water, and ball milled to make alumina slurry. The slurry was dried in a high magnetic field to make a compact. Subsequently, the compact was cold-isostatic-pressed (CIP) to enhance the homogeneity in particle packing density. Anisotropy of shrinkage during sintering was examined for the alumina compacts in detail. Particle orientation existed in the spherical alumina powder compacts prepared in 10T, and made them shrink anisotropically during sintering. Sintering shrinkage was larger in the direction parallel to magnetic field direction (i.e., the c-axis direction of alumina crystal) than that in its perpendicular direction. The particle orientation structure in the compacts was confirmed with the immersion liquid method of polarized light microscope, and the grain alignment structure in the sintered bodies was also observed with X-ray diffraction, the c-plane was perpendicular to the magnetic field direction. On the other hand, isotropic sintering shrinkage occurred in the spherical alumina powder compacts prepared in 0T, which did not hold the particle orientation. The experimental results indicate that sintering shrinkage of spherical alumina powder compact depends on alumina crystal axis direction. Origin of the sintering shrinkage anisotropy for the spherical alumina powder compacts can be attributed to the particle orientation caused by high magnetic field.