SEM-EDS Analysis of Composite Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ Ceramics Eroded with SiC Particles

In this paper, composite Al2O3–t-ZrO2ceramics (composition: 95 wt. % Al2O3– 5 wt. % t-ZrO2and 90 wt. % Al2O3– 10 wt. % t-ZrO2) was formed by slip casting in plaster mould. After drying, green bodies were sintered in laboratory electric kiln under air environment at a temperature of 1650 °C.Erosive wear resistance of sintered monolithic Al2O3and composite Al2O3–t-ZrO2ceramics was determined by SEM analysis of the sample surface morphology before and after erosion at impact angle of 90° and SiC as erodent particles. Surface morphology analysis after erosion showed that wear scars were significantly larger on Al2O3than on Al2O3–t-ZrO2samples. All conducted tests showed that tribological properties of monolithic Al2O3can be improved with the addition of t-ZrO2.