Quantitative evaluation of void distributions within a plasma-sprayed ceramic

The size-shape distribution of voids, which includes cracks and pores, was determined using quantitative stereological analysis. The analysis was perf ormed on a water-stabilized plasma-spray-formed Al2O3-13 wt% TiO2. The indi vidual voids were assumed to have an oblate spheroidal shape, which could s imulate shapes ranging from spherical pores to cracks. The cracks were gene rally intralamellar or translamellar, and the pores were interlamellar. The information obtained from two-dimensional plane sections was unfolded to t hree-dimensional information using stereological analysis, The quantitative information of voids was acquired in terms of shape and size.