Technical features evaluation of an alumina powder prepared by combustion synthesis

This work aims at characterising an alumina powder obtained by combustion synthesis, and at evaluating the technical properties of sintered bodies. Particle size distribution and XRD were used to characterise the alumina powder; electrophoresis and rheological measurements were used to select the most suitable processing conditions. Sintered density, flexural strength, Vickers hardness and SEM analysis were used to characterise the bodies sintered at 1600 degrees C. The experimental results showed that a density of 3.60 g/cm(3) could be obtained in absence of sintering aids and that the sintered bodies exhibited a flexural strength of 220 MPa and a Vickers hardness of 1100.