Effect of porosity on the erosive wear of liquid-phase-sintered alumina ceramics

The erosive wear susceptibility of porous and near-fully-dense liquid-phase -sintered (LPS) alumina ceramics has been studied from dry particle impact testing. Results show that the wear rates remained relatively constant with increasing porosity to a level above which the wear degradation was accele rated markedly. Microscopic observations indicate evidence of scratching an d inelastic deformation in the erosion sites of the most porous structures, while brittle fracture and grain dislodgment dominated the material remova l processes in the dense material. Implications of the erosion response in the LPS aluminas are discussed.