RELATIONSHIP OF MICROSTRUCTURE AND HARDNESS FOR Al{sub}2O{sub}3 ARMOR MATERIALS

摘要

In armor ceramics, it is hard to separate "good" from "bad", with samples that have close density values. It is still unknown whether a slight change in residual porosity above 99.5%, namely the shape and dispersity of pores are detrimental to the dynamic performance. The method for solving this problem is based on spatial data analysis and subsequent mechanical tests. Three hot-pressed armor grade Al{sub}2O{sub}3 ceramic tiles were used for this purpose. Microstructural assessment was carried out using nearest neighbor distance distribution functions and tessellation analysis. Hardness tests were performed to assess the properties of the samples. Hardness maps were obtained by indentation of samples 100 times, forming a square array of 10 × 10 indents and presented as contour maps. The results from microstructural assessment and hardness tests were compared and some degree of correlation was observed between the microstructural analysis and hardness tests.