Evaluation of sintering temperature and tribological properties of ceramic materials with CR\+v\2\-v\O\+v\3\-v\, SiO\+v\2\-v\ and MnO\+v\2\-v\ additive compounds

Processing and manufacturing of pure alumina products is a difficult and expensive task. Therefore, additional compounds are added to alumina to achieve a more complex component design and to minimize the processing and manufacturing costs. This paper examines the effects of speed, load values and the addition of Cr(sub2)O(sub3), SiO(sub2) and MnO(sub2) oxide compounds on the friction and wear behaviour of alumina ceramic. Wear tests for alumina and alumina samples containing the oxide compounds were carried out on a pin-on-disc machine. The specific wear rates were deduced from mass loss. It was found that the addition of the oxides improved the wear properties by an order of magnitude, and that the wear rate was sensitive to the applied load, particularly at low sliding speeds. It was also found that a 20% decrease in the sintering temperature resulted in a 300% increase in the wear rates. (Original abstract - amended)