Influence of C doping on the fracture mode and abrasive wear of Al_2O_3

摘要

Previous studies have shown that the addition of SiC nanoparticles to Al_2O_3 changes the fracture mode from intergranular to transgranular and in doing so improves the wear resistance. The reason for this is not clear but a change to the grain boundary chemistry caused by impurities such as C added with the SiC may be involved. The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of small amounts of C doping on the fracture mode and wear properties of Al_2O_3. The microstructure and properties of Al_2O_3 doped with 0 and 0.012 wt% C were studied. Al_2O_3 showed mainly intergranular fracture. The addition of 0.012 wt% C to Al_2O_3 changed the fracture mode to mainly transgranular. The wear resistance improved and the percentage of surface grains pulled out was lower compared to pure Al_2O_3.