A significant challenge in the fielding of transparent MgAl2O4 (spinel) ceramic parts for a variety of
military applications is the limited availability and fairly high cost of starting powder with consistent quality and
performance. In addition, available powders often require additional processing (particularly the addition of a
sintering aid such as LiF) prior to ceramic forming and sintering. Although the current sources of commercial spinel
powder are limited, separate Mg and Al oxides or hydroxides are among the most widely produced ceramic powders
on the market. If stoichiometric combinations of such powders could be substituted with modest effort into existing
procedures for transparent spinel manufacture, significant gains could be made in cost, availability, and consistency
of the resulting ceramic bodies. To this end we have studied the suitability of various commercial sources of MgO,
Mg(OH)2, γ-Al2O3, and AlOOH for transparent MgAl2O4 production. Our methods have been kept simple to
facilitate comparisons between trials and to maintain a focus on eventual manufacturing feasibility. Stoichiometric
mixtures of Mg and Al powders are thoroughly mixed in an aqueous slurry. The solids are collected, dried,
calcined, milled with LiF (as a sintering aid), and sieved. The powders are sintered into dense ceramics with
standard hot pressing and hot isostatic pressing procedures. Resulting ceramic transmission is measured and
correlated with the purity, surface area, and phase composition of the prepared powders.
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