Abstract
An assessment of fracture origins is conducted in yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramics containing different grain sizes. As the microstructure coarsens due to the application of heat treatments, fracture origins change from single pores to transformed regions at the free surface which are induced by the applied stress. The observation of an increasing size of failure origins with microstructural coarsening lies as the underlying reason for the finding that specimens containing coarser microstructures and a more pronounced R-curve behavior do not fail at larger stresses. A fracture model is used to link the strength variability of a fully tetragonal zirconia containing a small grain size to its pore size distribution. The increased transformability of zirconia ceramics with coarser tetragonal grains is evaluated by means of quantitative phase analysis, characterizations of fracture surface morphology, and R-curve assessments. It is confirmed that tetragonal grains of up to 4 μm may not necessarily undergo a spontaneous t–m transformation upon cooling from sintering.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
B. Lawn, “Fracture of Brittle Solids,” 2nd ed. (Cambridge University Press, 1993).
R. W. Rice, J. Mater. Sci. 32 (1997) 1673.
D. B. Marshall, J. Amer. Ceram. Soc. 69 (1986) 173.
M. V. Swain and L. R. F. Rose, ibid. 69 (1986) 511.
L. Ruiz and M. J. Readey, ibid. 79 (1996) 2331.
F. L. Cumbrera, F. SÁnchez-Bajo, R. FernÁndez and L. Llanes, J. Eur. Ceram. Soc. 18 (1998) 2247.
D. R. Clarke and F. Adar, J. Amer. Ceram. Soc. 65 (1982) 284.
M. S. Kaliszewski, G. Behrens, A. H. Heuer, M. C. Shaw, D. B. Marshall, G. W. Dransmann, R. W. Steinbrech, A. Pajares, F. Guiberteau, F. L. Cumbrera and A. Domin-Guez, ibid. 77 (1994) 1185.
R. F. Cook, L. M. Braun and W. R. Cannon, J. Mater. Sci. 29 (1994) 2133.
J. AlcalÁ and M. Anglada, Mater. Sci. Eng. A245 (1998) 267.
G. Quinn, J. KÜbler and R. Getting, VAMAS Report # 17, NIST, Gaithersburg MD, USA (1993).
R. F. Cook and B. R. Lawn, J. Amer. Ceram. Soc. 66 (1983) C–200.
J. C. Newman and I. S. Raju, Engng. Fract. Mech. 15 (1981) 185.
A. G. Evans, “Advances in Ceramics: Science and Technology of Zirconia II,” edited by N. Claussen, M. Rühle and A. H. Heuer (Am. Ceram. Soc., Ohio, USA, 1980) p. 193.
R. K. Govila, J. Mater. Sci. 30 (1995) 2656.
J. AlcalÁ and M. Anglada, Mater. Sci. Eng. A232 (1997) 103.
A. Zimmermann, M. Hoffman, B. D. Flinn, R. K. Bordia, T.-J. Chuang, E. R. Fuller and J. RÖdel, J. Amer. Ceram. Soc. 81 (1998) 2449.
R. W. Rice, J. Mater. Sci. 19 (1984) 895.
F. I. Baratta, J. Amer. Ceram. Soc. 64 (1981) C–3.
T. Fett, Int. J. Fract. 67 (1994) R–41.
R. Danzer and T. Lube, in “Fracture Mechanics of Ceramics 11,” edited by Bradt et al. (Plenum Press, NY, USA, 1996) p. 425.
P. Stanley, H. Fessler and A. D. Sivill, Proc. Brit. Ceram. Soc. 22 (1973) 453.
Idem., Proc. Inst. Mech. Engrs. 190 (1976) 589.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Casellas, D., Alcalá, J., Llanes, L. et al. Fracture variability and R-curve behavior in yttria-stabilized zirconia ceramics. Journal of Materials Science 36, 3011–3025 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017923008382
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017923008382