The effect of additions of silver or titanium (0.5 or 3 vol.%) microparticles on the microstructure, as well as some physical properties of Al2O3-based composites, were studied. The processing method for the manufacturing of alumina-based composites was a combination of RBAO and SPS processes. After the SPS process, bodies with almost full density were obtained. Observations by optical microscopy show a very fine and homogenous microstructure in all samples. Concerning mechanical properties, the addition of metals on alumina increases its fracture toughness significantly (112% for the sample with additions of silver, while the composite with additions of titanium fracture toughness increases by 72%). In terms of optical properties, both silver and titanium improve the absorbance in the visible range.

Through the powder metallurgy technique, alloys of the eutectic composition of the Zn-Al system were manufactured (22.3 wt.%Al), reinforced with Ag additions (0.5, 1, 2.5, 5 wt.%), with subsequent annealing heat treatment at three different temperatures; 100, 150 and 200°C for 1 hr. X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and mechanical tests were performed on the resulting samples. The addition of Ag favors the formation of alpha and beta compounds with Al and Zn respectively, which improves the compressive strength of the alloy. However, with the presence of Ag the hardness is decreased. On the other hand, the application of an annealing heat treatment, shows no significant effect on the evaluated properties of the alloy. The microstructure of the alloys resulted in the presence of very small grains smaller than 1 mm and with rounded morphology.