Regulating mechanical and anti-erosion wear properties of ZTA ceramics by adjusting Y2O3 content

High fracture toughness and low erosion wear play key roles in improving the working reliability and service life of erosion-resistant ZTA ceramic parts (ZTA-CPs). To reconcile the hardness, fracture toughness and erosion wear resistance, the Y2O3 content of ZTA-ceramics with 20 wt% ZrO2 (Z20TA) was successfully controlled by adjusting the mass ratio of commercially available m-ZrO2 and 3Y–ZrO2 powders in the initial compositions in this paper. Significantly, the fracture toughness and Vickers hardness of Z20TA bulk ceramics with different Y2O3 content can reach up to 5.35 MPa m1/2 and 15.82 GPa, and the erosion wear volume can be reduced to as low as 0.019 cm3, higher than those of Z20TA-ceramic parts by 5∼22 %, 12–19 % and 24–47 %, respectively. This novel Y2O3 content adjustment method is feasible for the industrial level mass production of anti-erosion wear high-performance ZTA parts, promoting the industrial development and wider application of erosion-resistant ceramic parts.