Recent advances in toughening of alumina-based ceramic machining tools

Alumina-based ceramic cutting tools have garnered significant attention in modern machining due to their excellent hardness, wear resistance, and thermal stability. However, their intrinsic brittleness and poor thermal shock resistance have long restricted their broader applications. This review comprehensively summarizes recent advancements in the toughening of alumina ceramic tools through various strategies, including transformation toughening, whisker reinforcement, graphene enhancement, and nanocomposite technology. Each toughening approach is discussed in terms of its mechanisms, microstructural effects, and resulting mechanical and machining performance. Special emphasis is placed on the transformation toughening of ZrO 2 , whisker bridging and pull-out mechanisms, as well as graphene's multifunctional toughening effects. In addition, recent progress in nanoparticle dispersion and grain boundary engineering for enhanced densification and fracture resistance is highlighted. Finally, future prospects and challenges in the development of high-performance alumina-based ceramic tools for extreme cutting conditions are presented. • Recent advancements in the toughening of alumina ceramic tools were comprehensively summarized. • The properties of ceramic machining tool can be tailored by selectingchemical composition, processing techniques and parameters. • Critical challenges and potential applications in further developing Al2O3 ceramic machining tool were provided.