Abstract: A series of alumina-zirconia composites with various grain sizes were prepared from the nano-sized powders with different agglomerations. Microstructural analysis of the sintered compacts indicates that the as-sintered material is a typical intra/inter granular nanocomposite with uniform distribution of the zirconia grains in the alumina matrix. Superplastic deep drawing test under different conditions demonstrates that dense Al2O3/ZrO2 samples with average grain size of 230 nm can be elongated to a dome height of at least 12 mm at the punch rate of 0.6 mm•min-1 at 1400℃. Further drawing tests show that for the composites with larger grain size, such elongation cannot be achieved at such a strain rate.

Key words: Nanocomposite, Synthesis, Microstructure, Superplasticity