2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Microwave Sintering of Partially Stabilized Zirconia Using a Domestic Microwave Oven
| Project/Area Number |
12650828
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
無機工業化学
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| Research Institution | Shonan Institute of Technology, Faculty of Engineering |
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Principal Investigator |
FUJITSU Satoru Shonan Inst. Tech., Eng., Prof., 工学部, 教授 (20165400)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2000 – 2001
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| Keywords | microwave / PSZ / PZT / microwave oven / sintering / grain growth |
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| Research Abstract |
Partially stabilized zirconia (PSZ) powders were fully densified by microwave heating using a domestic microwave oven. The pressed powder compacts of PSZ were sandwiched between two ZnO-MnO_2-Al_2O_3 (ZMA) ceramic plates acting as preheaters in the microwave oven and put in the oven. PSZ ceramics fabricated with the domestic microwave oven for 16 min exhibited a density of 5.94 g/cm^3, which is approximately equal to the density of bodies sintered at 1350 ℃ for 4 h or at 1400 ℃ for 16 min by the conventional furnace method. The PSZ pellet pre-heated by the ZMA ceramics more easily absorbed the microwave energy and self-heated to a higher temperature. The microwave heating enhanced not only the densification but also the grain growth. From this viewpoint, it was judged that the atomic diffusion should be promoted by irradiation of the microwave.
The bending strength of specimens sintered by microwave heating was comparable with that sintered by a conventional method (1450 ℃, 4 h). From this viewpoint, it is judged that this sintering method using an domestic microwave oven is better than the conventional method for the low energy consumption and low cost.
The similar method was applied on the sintering of lead zirconate titanate (PZT). The dense specimens were obtained for 11 min of driving a domestic microwave oven. Sintered silicon carbide was used as a preheater.
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