Microstructural pathways for the densification of slip cast alumina

The effect of slip casting condition and hence particle packing on densification and microstructural evolution was evaluated during isothermal sintering of a commercial alumina powder at 1350 °C. While there was significant effect of flocculation on solid volume fraction at short sintering times there appeared to be no inherent barrier to the eventual attainment of the same limiting solid volume fraction. Microstructural pathways based on average microstructural parameters and microstructural populations revealed no effect of casting condition on grain-scale pathways at this temperature. It is thought that microstructural pathways at higher length scales based on grain clusters will reveal the effect of slip casting independent of grain coarsening behavior.