(Alumina-silicon carbide) nanocomposite has been extensivelly studied due to its promising results regarding its mechanical properties. The processing of this material usually involves high cost, once the use of hot pressing is necessary for obtaining dense materials. A more recent alternative for sintering nanocrystalline ceramics is the Spark Plasma Sintering - SPS. In this work alumina powders with 5%vol SiC inclusions were sintered using the SPS method at temperatures varying from 1500 to 1600 °C, using different holding times. The effect of temperature and hold time on density and microstructure was investigated. The best results in microestucture and microhardness measurements were shown at 1500 °C and time of landing of 7 min.
spark plasma sintering; alumina; SiC; nanocomposite
