International Scientific Journals
of Scientific Technical Union of Mechanical Engineering "Industry 4.0"

To reduce the sintering temperature in the microstructural design of α-Al2O3-based ceramics, a mixture of basalt glass and yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was used. The effect of isothermal holding time during liquid-phase sintering of a composite containing 85 wt.% α-Al2O3 and 15 wt.% (basalt glass + YSZ) on its mechanical properties was investigated. The samples were sintered at temperatures of 1450 and 1500 °C for 2–6 hours. It was established that sintering occurs in the presence of a liquid phase that persists throughout the entire holding period, and the densification of the material is determined by the rearrangement and Ostwald ripening processes of Al2O3 grains. The maximum hardness reached 7.73 GPa, while the fracture toughness reached 7.95 MPa•m¹ᐟ². The effect of microstructural evolution on the hardness and fracture toughness of the composite was demonstrated.