Manufacturing of alumina ceramic alloy through milling process and sintering variations

Alumina ceramics are needed as a strategic material in various applications of electronic components, automotive and mechanical components. The research was conducted by adding Al2O3, SiO2 powder and glass powder and then milling the powder on a High Energy Milling machine in the UNPAM laboratory for 45 minutes. Then the powder material is compacted with a dry pressing tool with a loading of 20 tons, the compaction results are put into the furnace for sintering. The expected research variables are by varying the sintering temperature of 900°C, 1000°C and 1100°C and cooling naturally until the pellet material reaches room temperature. The sintered pellet sample was then characterized using a hardness, density and XRD analysis tool. The results of the XRD characterization were read using MAUD (Material Using Diffraction) software. The test results show that the maximum hardness occurs when the material is sintered at a temperature of 1100°C, while the maximum density of 0.99 g/cm3 occurs when the material is sintered at a temperature of 1000°C. Based on XRD observations, a dominant phase of corondum (α-Al2O3) and a minor phase of SiO2 was formed, and there was no reaction between alumina and silica additives.