Abstract: The Al₂O₃-strengthened cement,an advanced construction material,was prepared by vacuum pressure infiltration(VPI).The influence of the preheating temperature of powders on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the bulk Al₂O₃/Ce material was investigated with X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy and conventional mechanical probes.The preliminary results show that the pre-heating temperature had a major impact.To be specific,as the pre-heating temperature increased from 480℃ to 600℃,both the compactness and inter-particle bonding of Al₂O₃/Ce material increased,accompanied by the decreases of the porosity,particle-size distribution and tensile-strength.In tensile measurement of the Al₂O₃/Ce sample preheated at an optimized temperature of 600℃,some the crack(s),formed at some weak spots,rapidly propagated in radial directions of grains,resulting in sharp tensile fracture because of brittle fracture mechanism.