Abstract
The sintering mechanism of Al2O3/SiC nanocomposites was investigated by microstructural observation using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The sintering process in hot-pressing of γ-Al2O3/5vol% SiC powder mixture was divided into 3 stages. In the first stage (1000°-1350°C), γ→α phase transformation of Al2O3 occurred. The grain growth mechanism in the second stage (1350°-1450°C) was the subgrain rotation and coalescence. The subgrain domain was formed in this stage. In the final stage (1450°-1600°C), the larger subgrain domain was confirmed to grow by grain boundary migration.
