查看文章

The effects of CeO₂ addition on the structure, microstructure and fracture toughness of yttria stabilized zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramics were investigated. The CeO₂ addition to the powder mixtures was varied from 0wt.% to 15wt.%. The powders of each composition were pressed into pellets and sintered at 1600°C for 4h under pressureless conditions. The fracture toughness of the sintered samples was determined by the Vickers indentation technique with a 30kgf load. Based on the XRD analysis, only corundum and yttria doped zirconia phases were present. Shift in position of the zirconia peaks were observed due to the CeO₂ addition. Microstructure investigations showed that the grain sizes of both corundum and yttria doped zirconia increased with increasing CeO₂ addition. Fracture toughness and hardness values were dependent on the CeO₂ addition. The highest fracture toughness (8.38MPa …