The Effect of Al₂O₃ as a Sintering Aid on the Densification of B₄C by Spark Plasma Sintering

Abstract

The effect of the Al2O3 additive on the densification behavior, microstructure and mechanical properties of the B4C–xwt%Al2O3 composites sintered by means of spark plasma sintering (SPS) process were investigated. It was found that addition of Al2O3 improve the sinterability of B4C at temperatures between 1700 and 1800°C remarkably. The composite samples which with an addition of 4 wt% Al2O3 and sintering at 1750°C exhibits excellent mechanical properties (relative density: 98.82%, hardness: 90.6 HRA).