REACTION BONDING OF ALUMINUM-OXIDE (RBAO) COMPOSITES - PROCESSING, REACTION-MECHANISMS AND PROPERTIES

As an alternative to conventional Al2O3 manufacturing, a novel technique, reaction bonding of aluminum oxide (RBAO), has been successfully developed Although the technique is in its infancy, it has already demonstrated interesting characteristics, such as high green strength without organic additives, low-to-zero shrinkage tailorability, superior mechanical properties, superplastic transformability and broad microstructural versatility. One of the important technical potentials is to use RBAO as a matrix for large-scale second-phase particles, e.g. platelets and fibers, without causing the harmful residual stresses normally encountered with shrinking matrix materials.