The phenomenon of plastic flow in alumina was previously [1 and 2] characterized using sintering models and transmission electron microscopy. Some of the findingsof the work were (a) near equality in the activation energy for volume diffusion and surface area reduction (82 kJ/mol), (b) a higher activation energy (440 kJ/mol) for Coble creep mechanism in the absence of gamma/alpha phase transformation and a lower activation energy (250 kJ/mol) when phase transformation was a part ofthe sintering process and, (c) presence of extended dislocations and deformed electron diffraction spots.

In view of these results it was of interest to follow the effect of solute addition on plastic flow [ 3 ]. The solutes were incorporated in alumina through gel synthesis route and formed solid—solution systems of Cr203— A1203 and MoO3 — A12O3 at 1000°C. In the course of sintering there is partiai vaporization of caromiaand reduction of MoO3. The chromiavacancy and Mo metal thus impart an impurity decoration to the lattice. The scanning electron micrographs seem to show that they are segregated along grain boundaries, sub—grain boundaries and dislocations. With increase in temperature the linear vacancy segregations and the scattered vacancy clusters annihilate to form pores. These pores transform to creep cavities that extend from grain boundary to volume. The clustered occurrence of Mo at grain boundaries and its extended spacing in the subgrain boundary is perhaps indicative of a dislocation pipe model for its segregation. On the basis of these modeling and microstructural results a heuristic argument is presented in favor of kinetic equality among self diffusion, dislocation pipe diffusion and dislocation climb, and in favor of the commencement of Coble and Nabarros—Herring creep with severance of these equalities.