Damage and wear resistance of Al₂O₃–SiC microcomposites with hard and elastic properties

Abstract

Al₂O₃–SiC composites with different SiC contents of 0–10 wt % were fabricated and the effects on damage and wear resistance investigated. The composites were fabricated using spark plasma sintering at 1600°C in a partial vacuum (80 MPa). Hertzian indentation evaluations using a spherical indenter indicated that the hardness of the composite is improved by SiC addition. Wear resistance evaluated using the ball-on-disk method showed enhanced wear resistance for the composites, even when SiC addition was less than 2 wt %. Thus, Al₂O₃ ceramics exhibited significantly improved damage and wear resistance, even though SiC addition was as small as 2 wt %.