The effect of fiber content and sintering temperature on sintering behavior and mechanical properties of mullite fibers/hydroxyapatite composites was studied. The composites were fabricated by hydrothermal synthesis and pressureless sintering. The amount of fibers was varied from 5 wt % to 15 wt % through hydrothermal synthesis, mullite fibers and hydroxyapatite composite powders were subsequently sintered at temperatures of 1150, 1250, and 1350 °C. The composites presented a more perturbed structure by increasing fiber content. Moreover, the composites experienced pore coalescence and exhibited a dense microstructure at elevated temperature. X-ray diffraction indicated that the composites underwent various chemical reactions and generated silicate glasses. The generation of silicate glasses increased the driving force of particle rearrangement and decreased the number of pores, which promoted densification of the composites. Densification typically leads to increased hardness and bending strength. The study proposes a densification mechanism and opens new insights into the sintering properties of these materials.
Keywords: densification mechanism; hydroxyapatite; mullite fiber; sintering.