Structural and mechanical properties of nano and micro Al2O3-cBN composites prepared by spark plasma sintering

Abstract

Conventional sintering processes convert a portion of cBN to hBN which is softer than cBN which negatively affects functional properties of an alumina composite. The invention is directed to method for making an alumina-cubic boron nitride (Al2O3-cBN) composite that contains substantially no hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) by non-conventional spark plasma sintering of cBN with nano-sized alumina particles. The invention is also directed to Al2O3-cBN/Ni composites, which contain substantially no hBN, and which exhibit superior physical and mechanical properties compared to alumina composites containing higher amounts of hBN.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.