Critical Microstructures for Microcracking in Al2O3-ZrO2 Composites

The internal strains asSociated with the martensitic phase transformation of zirconia were used to introduce microcracks into Al2O3/ZrO2 composites. The degree of transformation was found to be dependent on the volume fraction of ZrO2 and its size, the latter of which could be controlled by suitable heat treatments. The microstructural changes that occurred during the heat treatments were studied using quantitative microscopy and X-ray diffraction. For materials containing more than 7.5 vol% Zr02, the ZrO2 particles were found to pin the Al2O3 grain boundaries, thus limiting the Al2O3 grain growth. The limiting grain size was found to be dependent on size and volume fraction of ZrO2. Heat treatments for the higher volume fraction materials (>7.5 vol% ZrO2) caused micro-structural changes which resulted in increased amounts of monoclinic ZrO2 at room temperature; elastic modulus measurements indicated that this was occurring concurrently with microcracking. By combining the ZrO2 grain-size distributions with the X-ray analysis it was possible to calculate the critical ZrO2 size required for the transformation. The critical size was found to decrease with increasing amounts of ZrO2. Hardness and indentation fracture toughness were measured on the composites. Grain fragmentation was observed at the edge of the indentations and microcracks were observed directly, using an AgNO3 decoration technique, near the indentations.