Potentialities for sapphire strength enhancement

Abstract

The study results are presented concerning the influence of technological factors, such as annealing atmosphere and mechanical treatment, on the sapphire strength. The ultimate strength under four-point flexure has been determiden according to European standard EN 843-1:1995 using the four-point-1/4-point flexure scheme. The heigh-temperature annealing in various atmospheres that defines the stoichiometric composition has been shown to influence the mechanical characteristics of sapphire.