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The objectives for the thesis were to generate tough ceramics utiising the toughening mechanisms inherent to zirconia materials. The aims have been realised with the successful fabrication of hot pressed silicon nitride / zirconia composite ceramics. The zirconia was prestabilised with two different types of dopant additives, yttria and ceria, with the intention of understanding the chemical compatibility with the silicon nitride matrix and the overall effect on the subsequent mechanical properties. The volume fraction of added zirconia was also varied. The increased toughness over silicon nitride materials alone was attributed to the toughening agents inherent to zirconia which existed either in the form of the tetragonal polymorph or the monoclinic variant. The toughening modes were dependent on initial chemistry of the composite system. When the zirconia was prestabilised with yttria the tetragonal polymorph was retained within the composite. The enhanced toughness was attributed to a transformation toughening mechanism. However, when the zirconia was prestabiised with ceria the depletion of Ce from solid solution with the zirconia during processing resulted in the formation of the unstabiised monoclinic variant. The enhanced toughness was attributed, in this case, to a microcrack type energy absorption mechanism, similar to several ZTA composite ceramics. Additionally, an experiment using ultrasound non-destructive testing, indicated that Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystals (TZP) is ferroelastic and, as such, can provide a significant contribution to enhanced levels of fracture toughness in these materials or composites containing the same. Further work has been conducted to actually observe, as a function of applied unia.xial stress, the crystallographic changes occurring within the bulk of a 3Y-TZP ceramic via neutron elastic scattering at the ILL, Grenoble, France. This experiment has provided clear direct proof of the ferroelastic nature of zirconia. A similar experiment will be carried out at the Rutherford Laboratory, though with significantly improved statistics. An approach to improve the high temperature properties of TZP via the chemical alteration of the grain boundary phase was also considered. As a preliminary step the grain boundary volume was increased through controlled additions of the grain boundary composition in the form of both a premilled and a premelted glass. Poor fired densities were attained, however, due to the solute additive partitioning from the generation of an enhanced grain boundary phase to overstabilisation of the zirconia resulting in the formation of cubic stabilised zirconia. Furthermore, the incorporation of nitrogen within the grain boundary phase, via sintering TZP with sole additions of A1N, resulted in the attainment of poor fired densities and hence was not considered a suitable method for grain boundary modification. |
