Partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ)-kovar sealing glass or practical soda lime glass composites sintered at 750° and 1050°C were studied by means of X-ray diffractometer, tensile testing machine, XMA, dilatometer and differential thermal analysis apparatus.
The results obtained were as follows:
(1) In PSZ-kovar sealing glass composites sintered at 1050°C, ZrO2⋅SiO2 (zircon) was formed at 800°-1000°C in great quantity. Modulus of rupture was minimum at PSZ 10 vol%. Thermal expansion coefficients of the composites sintered at 1050°C were smaller than those of the composites sintered at 750°C.
(2) In PSZ-practical soda lime glass composites sintered at 1050°C, β-cristobalite, CaO and ZrO2⋅SiO2 (trace) were formed at 950°-1050°C.
Modulus of rupture was maximum at PSZ 40 vol%. Thermal expansion coefficients were smaller than those of the composites sintered at 750°C.
(3) It was attributed that the original structures of the glasses were varied with exolution of the CaO from the PSZ to kovar sealing glass and practical soda lime glass.
It seems that in PSZ-kovar sealing glass composite, active SiO2 of phase-separated glass reacts with ZrO2, (monoclinic) to form ZrO2⋅SiO2. And that after in PSZ-practical soda lime glass composites the content of CaO in glass becomes too much to form stable glass, the glass is partly decomposed to form β-cristobalite and CaO.