Alumina ceramics have been identified as a potential material for fitness equipment due to their unique properties like hardness, high wear resistance, and chemical stability. The brittle nature of alumina ceramics limits their use in areas where toughness and impact resistance are essential. To meet the high toughness and crack resistance requirements of alumina, researchers have searched for possible composite structures mimicking natural material. In this study, alumina ceramic composites were prepared using advanced materials like hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and graphene oxide (GO) platelets, which can support stress redistribution, energy dissipation, and crack deflection at the interfaces. The spark plasma sintering temperature for the alumina-BN or GO composite preparation was optimized as 1400 °C. The mechanical properties of the composites were improved compared to the control alumina matrix. The phase of BN and GO in the alumina matrix remained stable during the SPS process, while at higher concentrations, GO transformed into a more ordered graphitic structure and contributed to better mechanical properties. The microstructure analysis confirmed the uniform distribution of BN and GO platelets in the alumina matrix. The novel alumina composites prepared using BN or GO in the present study are ideal for the manufacturing of ceramic material-based fitness equipment.

Keywords: Alumina ceramic, Composite, Boron nitride, Graphene oxide, Sports Fitness equipment.