The Influence of Corundum Content and Sintering Temperature on the Mechanical Properties of CaO–ZrO2–Al2O3 Ceramic Composites

Abstract

We have studied the mechanical properties (Vickers microhardness HV and fracture toughness KC) of nanostructured CaO–ZrO2–Al2O3 ceramic composites as dependent on the content of corundum (0 ≤ \(C_{Al_{2}O_{3}}\) ≤ 25%) and the temperature of sintering (1250°C ≤ T1 ≤ 1500°C). Optimum value of the corundum content (\(C_{Al_{2}O_{3}}\) = 5%) and optimum regime (T1 = 1300°C, 5 min; T2 = 1200°C, 4 h) of two-stage sintering are established, which favor attaining the best mechanical characteristics of ceramic composites (HV = 12.25 GPa, KC = 8.47 MPa m1/2).