Synergistic Effects Of Porosity And Glass On Quasi-Ductility Under Hertzian Contact Inliquid-Phase-Sintered Alumina

Direct observation of damage mechanisms in a porous liquid-phase-sintered alumina under Hertzian contact has been made possible through a modification of the bonded interface technique. Using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, subsurface regions have been examined in a pre-indentation and post-indentation condition at loads just beyond the yield stress. Intergranular cracking, often through large glassy regions, is observed in the vicinity of pores, whereas dense regions of the microstructure remian undamaged.