Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Silicon carbide fibre reinforced alumina compacts were formed by extrusion. The powder and fibre were pre-mixed and milled before high shear kneading to produce a homogeneous dispersion of up to 30 vol% chopped SiC fibre with high green density. The rheology of the paste was characterised using a physically based model. It is demonstrated that the pressure drop and constituent paste parameters are all systematically reduced with increasing fibre loadings for a given moisture content. It is suggested that particle packing theory in combination with fibre interactions within the paste and die system offers an explanation for the observed results.