Sintered zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) which has good mechanical properties at a low temperature was produced by milling and mixing with Al2O3 and ZrO2. In order to examine the effect of talc, SiO2 and CaCO3 on mechanical properties of ZTA, microstructure and density change were observed. The addition of sintering aid induced densification of ZTA at low temperatures. This inducement of densification is believed as the result of addition of the sintering aids which lowered the sintering temperature and generated rapid mass transfer through liquid phase. In result, as the amount of sintering aids and sintering temperature increased, the densification was suppressed, and the formation of pores showed a tendency to be increased. This result is known as due to the vaporization of liquefied sintering aids.

Keywords: ZTA, Sintering aids, Phase transformation.