Tetragonal-to-Monoclinic Transformation Influence on the Mechanical Properties of CeO2- ZrO2 Ceramics

Abstract

CeO2- ZrO2 ceramics are considered a candidate material for applications as structural high performance ceramics. In this work are presented and discussed the tetragonal-to-monoclinic stress-induced transformation influence on the mechanical properties in these ceramics. Sintered ceramics were fabricated from powders mixtures containing ZrO2 and 8 to 14 CeO2 % mol. SEM observations were used to study de ceramic microstructures and X-rays diffraction to identification and determination of tetragonal and monoclinic phases. It was adopted the 4-point bending tests, Vickers surface hardness and fracture toughness technique to the determination of the mechanical parameters. The results showed that the mechanical properties were strongly dependent of the CeO2 content, the microstructure and the fraction of tetragonal-to-monoclinic stress-induced transformation.