EFFECTS OF POWDER PROCESSING ON THE CHARACTERIZATION OF MAGNESIA DERIVED FROM ALKOXIDE PRECURSORS .2. COMPACTION AND SINTERING BEHAVIOR

Compaction and sintering behaviour of three magnesia powders derived f rom three different processes were compared. Powder preparation and pr operties have been reported in Part I. It was found in this study that the starting powder morphologies, especially the state of hard agglom eration, strongly affect the uniformity and microstructural evolution during forming and densification. However, a uniform, high-strength, d ense (98-99%) and translucent magnesia can be achieved by sintering th e modified powder compacts at temperatures much lower than those requi red for conventional magnesia powders.