Engineering ceramics such as alumina, zirconia, silicon nitride and silicon carbide can now be manufactured reliably with reproducible properties As such, they are of increasing interest to industry, particularly for use in demanding environments, where their thermomechanical performance is of critical importance, with applications ranging from fuel cells to cutting tools One aspect common to virtually all applications of engineering ceramics is that eventually they must be joined with another material, most usually a metal The joining of engineering ceramics to metals is not always easy There are two main considerations The first consideration is the basic difference in atomic bonding: the ionic or covalent bonding of the ceramic, compared to the metallic bond The second consideration is the mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion In general, ceramics have a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than metals and, if high tensile forces are produced in the ceramic, either a

Joining of engineering ceramics

Potentiometric internal reference oxygen sensors are created by embedding a metal/metal oxide mixture within a yttria-stabilized zirconia oxygen-conducting ceramic superstructure. Three metal/metal oxide systems based on Pd, Ni, and Ru are examined. A static internal reference oxygen pressure is produced inside the reference chamber of the sensor at the target application temperature. The metal/metal oxide-containing reference chamber is sealed within the stabilized zirconia ceramic superstructure by a high pressure (3–6 MPa) and high temperature (1200–1300 °C) bonding method that initiates grain boundary sliding between the ceramic components. The bonding method creates ceramic joints that are pore-free and indistinguishable from the bulk ceramic. The Pd/PdO-based oxygen sensor presented in this study is capable of long-term operation and resistant to the strains of thermal cycling. The current temperature limit of the device is limited at 800 °C. As the sensor does not require reference gas plumbing there is flexibility in placement of sensors in a combustion stream. Furthermore, the sensor assembly process readily lends itself to miniaturization.

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High temperature zirconia oxygen sensor with sealed metal/metal oxide internal reference

Determination of mechanical properties of Al2O3/Y-TZP ceramic composites: Influence of testing method and residual stresses

Effects of additive amount, testing method, fabrication process and sintering temperature on the mechanical properties of Al2O3/3Y-TZP composites

A novel method to obtain Al2O3–ZrO2 nanocomposites is presented. It consists of the co-precipitation step of boehmite (AlO(OH)) and ZrO2, followed by microwave hydrothermal treatment at 270 °C and 60 MPa, and by calcination at 600 °C. Using this method, we obtained two nanocomposites: Al2O3–20 wt % ZrO2 and Al2O3–40 wt % ZrO2. Nanocomposites were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Sintering behavior and thermal expansion coefficients were investigated during dilatometric tests. The sintering temperatures of the nanocomposites were 1209 °C and 1231 °C, respectively—approximately 100 °C lower than reported for such composites. We attribute the decrease of the sintering temperature to the specific nanostructure obtained using microwave hydrothermal treatment instead of conventional calcination. Microwave hydrothermal treatment resulted in a fine distribution of intermixed highly crystalline nanoparticles of boehmite and zirconia. Such intermixing prevented particle growth, which is a factor reducing sintering temperature. Further, due to reduced grain growth, stability of the θ-Al2O3 phase was extended up to 1200 °C, which enhances the sintering process as well. For the Al2O3–20 wt % ZrO2 composition, we observed stability of the zirconia tetragonal phase up to 1400 °C. We associate this stability with the mutual separation of zirconia nanoparticles in the alumina matrix.

Mechanism of reduced sintering temperature of Al2O3–ZrO2 nanocomposites obtained by microwave hydrothermal synthesis

Influence of internal stresses in superplastic joining of zirconia toughened alumina

Four-point bend tests have been performed on samples consisting of yttria-stabilized zirconia containing 0–80% alumina joined by plastic deformation to the same or different composition. The fracture strength of joints between the same composition was equal to the strength of the monolithic material. Fracture of joints made between different compositions occurred at the position of maximum tensile residual stress, as determined by finite-element analysis, not at the interface. Measured strengths were in accord with fracture mechanics and the calculated residual stresses.

S.H. Majumdar

Papers

Influence of internal stresses in superplastic joining of zirconia toughened alumina

Fracture of composite alumina/yttria-stabilized zirconia joints