Al2O3/ZrO2 (Y2O3) PREPARED BY COMBUSTION SYNTHESIS UNDER HIGH GRAVITY

By introducing ZrO2 (4Y) powder into the thermit, Al2O3/ZrO2 (4Y) composite ceramics of different composition and microstructures were prepared through combustion synthesis under high gravity, and the correlations of composition, microstructures and mechanical properties of composite ceramics were investigated. The results of XRD, SEM and EDS showed that Al2O3/33%ZrO2 (4Y) were composed of random-orientated rod-shaped colonies consisting of a triangular dispersion of orderly submicron-nanometer t-ZrO2 fibers, surrounded by inter-colony regions consisting of spherically-shaped micronmeter t-ZrO2 grains; meanwhile, Al2O3/45%ZrO2 (4Y) were comprised of spherically-shaped micron-meter t-ZrO2 grains. Similar to the international directionally solidified Al2O3/ZrO2 (Y2O3), the EDS results also indicated that there are no impurities, amorphous phases and grain boundaries but clean phase interfaces in two ceramic composites. Compared to the international directionally solidified Al2O3/ZrO2 (Y2O3), the increase in...