## 3 Results and Discussion
### Statistical Analysis
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Microhardness**} \\ \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Source**} & **DF** & **Seq SS** & **Adj SS** & **Adj MS** & **F** & \(p\) & **\%** \\ \hline A & 2 & 5.8445 & 5.8445 & 2.92225 & 25.48 & 0.038 & 72.99 \\ B & 2 & 1.7620 & 1.7620 & 0.88101 & 7.68 & 0.115 & 22.01 \\ C & 2 & 0.1710 & 0.1710 & 0.08550 & 0.75 & 0.573 & 2.14 \\ Residual Error & 2 & 0.2293 & 0.11467 & & & 2.86 \\ Total & 8 & 8.0069 & & & & 100.00 \\ \hline \hline \multicolumn{6}{c}{R-Sq (97.14%), R-Sq(adj) (88.54%)} \\ \hline \hline \multicolumn{6}{c}{**Compressive Strength**} \\ \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Source**} & **DF** & **Seq SS** & **Adj SS** & **Adj MS** & **F** & \(p\) & **\%** \\ \hline A & 2 & 0.82748 & 0.82748 & 0.41374 & 16.90 & 0.056 & 68.38 \\ B & 2 & 0.28296 & 0.28296 & 0.14148 & 5.78 & 0.148 & 23.38 \\ C & 2 & 0.05064 & 0.05064 & 0.02532 & 1.03 & 0.492 & 4.18 \\ Residual Error & 2 & 0.04897 & 0.04897 & 0.02448 & & & 4.05 \\ Total & 8 & 1.21005 & & & & 100.00 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 7: Response table for signal-to-noise ratio (larger-is-better). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Source**} & **DF** & **Seq SS** & **Adj SS** & **Adj MS** & **F** & \(p\) & **\%** \\ \hline A & 2 & 0.82748 & 0.82748 & 0.41374 & 16.90 & 0.056 & 68.38 \\ B & 2 & 0.28296 & 0.28296 & 0.14148 & 5.78 & 0.148 & 23.38 \\ C & 2 & 0.05064 & 0.05064 & 0.02532 & 1.03 & 0.492 & 4.18 \\ Residual Error &accounting for only 2.14% of the variation. A similar pattern of influence was observed when analyzing compressive strength. Compaction pressure once again emerged as the most significant factor, with a contribution of 68.38%. This underscores the importance of adequate compaction in improving load-bearing capacity of the composite. Sintering temperature contributed 23.38%, highlighting its role in reducing porosity and improving the mechanical integrity of the material. Sintering time showed a modest contribution of 4.18%, indicating that while it plays a role in enhancing compressive strength, its impact is less pronounced compared to the other two factors. These findings demonstrate the critical role of compaction pressure and sintering temperature in optimizing mechanical properties. The ANOVA analysis for microhardness and compressive strength provides a detailed analysis of the contributions of individual control factors are compaction pressure (A), sintering temperature (B), and sintering time (C) subtending towards the variation in mechanical properties (Table 8). For microhardness, compaction pressure emerges as the most dominant factor, contributing 72.99% to the total variation, as reflected in its sequential sum of squares (Seq SS) value of 5.8445. This indicates that compaction pressure has the strongest influence on densification and particle bonding, which directly enhances the hardness of the material. The sintering temperature was the second most significant factor, contributing 22.01% (Seq SS = 1.7620), as it controls grain growth and diffusion processes that further improve hardness. Sintering time, with a minimal contribution of 2.14% (Seq SS = 0.1710), has a negligible impact on microhardness compared to the other factors. The residual error accounts for only 2.86% of the variation, demonstrating the robustness of the model. The model's fit was supported by high R-squared (R\({}^{2}\) = 97.14%) and adjusted R-squared values (R\({}^{2}\)(adj) = 88.54%), indicating that the selected factors explain most of the observed variation. For compressive strength, a similar trend was observed, with compaction pressure being the most influential factor, contributing 68.38% (Seq SS = 0.82748). This highlights its critical role in enhancing the load-bearing capacity of the material. Sintering temperature follows with a contribution of 23.38% (Seq SS = 0.28296), as it reduces porosity and strengthens the composite. Sintering time contributes only 4.18% (Seq SS = 0.05064), indicating its relatively minor influence.