Abstract
Development of toughened zirconia parts for grinding was reviewed. This work was achieved by developing the high purity, ultra-fine zirconia powder processing and toughened Y-TZP( Y2O3 doped tetragonal ZrO2 ceramics ), and investigating the propertieswear characteristics relation. Zirconia powders prepared by the hydrolysis method, which was the lowest production cost, showed the good formability and sinterbility. Y-TZPP containing 2.5-3.0mol% Y2O3 gave higher fracture toughness and strength by the stress induced phase transformation toughening. The wear characteristics of Y-TZP grinding media depended strongly on the fracture toughness, strength and grain size, but not on hardness and density within the range of this experiment. It is considered that the excellent wear characteristic zirconia parts for grinding can be obtained by controlling the fracture toughness, strength and microstructure. To investigate these mechanism, the microstructures of worn areas were examined by SEM observations.
