Synthesis and enhanced superplasticity of the zirconia-dispersed alumina nanocomposite

A series of alumina-zirconia composites with various grain sizes were prepared from the nano-sized powders with different agglomerations. Microstructural analysis of the sintered compacts indicates that the as-sintered material is a typical intra/inter granular nanocomposite with uniform distribution of the zirconia grains in the alumina matrix. Superplastic deep drawing test under different conditions demonstrates that dense Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ samples with average grain size of 230 nm can be elongated to a dome height of at least 12 mm at the punch rate of 0.6 mm·min^-1 at 1400°C. Further drawing tests show that for the composites with larger grain size, such elongation cannot be achieved at such a strain rate.