Characterization and Properties of Powder Metallurgy Alumina-Iron and Alumina-Copper Ceramic Composites

Ceramic metal composites are engineered materials that use metals as reinforcements to improve the mechanical properties such as flexural strength and fracture toughness of ceramics. The trend of mechanical properties does not increase or decrease proportionally to the volume of metal reinforcement added. Incorporation of metals to ceramic may enhance the mechanical properties, but over addition of metals after its optimum volume give adverse effect. The objectives of this paper are to study the effects of iron and copper additions in density and flexural strength to the alumina-iron and alumina-copper composites and to determine the optimum volume of iron and copper additions in the alumina composites, respectively. Powder metallurgy was the method used to fabricate alumina matrix composites containing 5 and 10 vol.% of iron or copper additions respectively