Effect of post-sintering heat-treatments on the erosive wear behaviour of liquid-phase-sintered aluminas

The influence of microstructure on the indentation-strength and solid parti cle erosive wear behaviour of a liquid-phase-sintered (LPS) alumina subject ed to coarsening, quenching and crystallisation heat-treatments were invest igated. Strength as a function of crack size using Vickers indentations of varying loads was assessed. The short-crack toughness curves (T-curves) of the materials were evaluated from indentation-strength data which is pertin ent to wear properties, since wear is governed by fracture characteristics at small flaw sizes. The effects of impact angle and particle velocity on e rosive wear rates were also analysed. The relationship between short-crack toughness behaviour and erosion resistance are discussed with reference to the material microstructures and phase composition. (C) 2000 Kluwer Academi c Publishers.