DOI: 10.1098/rspa.2007.1829. On a ferroelastic mechanism governing the toughness of metastable tetragonal-prime ( <i>t</i> ′) yttria-stabilized zirconia

On a ferroelastic mechanism governing the toughness of metastable tetragonal-prime ( t ′) yttria-stabilized zirconia

10.1098/rspa.2007.1829

Crossref journal-article

The Royal Society

Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (175)

Abstract

This article investigates the toughness of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) with the tetragonal-prime ( t ′) structure. Such materials are used as durable thermal barriers in gas turbines. Their durability has been attributed to high toughness, relative to materials in the cubic phase field. Based on prior literature, a ferroelastic toughening mechanism is hypothesized and this assertion is examined by characterizing the material in the wake of an indentation-induced crack. Assessment by transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and optical interferometry has affirmed the existence of a process zone, approximately 3 μm in width, containing a high density of nano-scale domains, with equal proportions of all three crystallographic variants. Outside the zone, individual grains contain a single variant (no domains) implying that the toughening mechanism is controlled by domain nucleation (rather than the motion of pre-existing twin boundaries). The viability of the ferroelastic toughening mechanism is assessed using a process zone model that relates the observed toughening to the stress/strain hysteresis accompanying domain formation. Based on the measured process zone size, the known tetragonality of t ′-7 wt% YSZ and the enhancement in toughness relative to cubic YSZ, consistency between the model and the observed toughening is demonstrated for a reasonable choice of the coercive stress.

Bibliography

Mercer, C., Williams, J. R., Clarke, D. R., & Evans, A. G. (2007). On a ferroelastic mechanism governing the toughness of metastable tetragonal-prime ( t â²) yttria-stabilized zirconia. Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 463(2081), 1393â1408.

Authors 4

C Mercer (first)
J.R Williams (additional)
D.R Clarke (additional)
A.G Evans (additional)

References 31 Referenced 213

10.1111/j.1151-2916.1981.tb10320.x
10.1111/j.1151-2916.2001.tb00911.x
10.1111/j.1151-2916.1992.tb07832.x
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10.1111/j.1151-2916.1982.tb10445.x
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10.1111/j.1151-2916.1990.tb05119.x
10.1111/j.1151-2916.1990.tb06493.x
10.1016/0001-6160(86)90052-0
10.1111/j.1151-2916.1976.tb10991.x
10.1016/S0079-6425(00)00020-7
Green D.J Hannink R.H.J& Swain M.V Transformation toughening of ceramics. 1989 Boca Raton FL:CRC Press.
10.1111/j.1151-2916.1990.tb04271.x
10.1007/BF00809059
Lawn B.R Fracture of brittle solids. 1975 Cambridge UK:Cambridge University Press.
10.1016/j.cossms.2004.03.009
10.1016/0955-2219(94)90083-3
10.1016/j.actamat.2004.11.028
10.1016/S1359-6454(01)00071-4
10.1111/j.1551-2916.2005.00813.x
Schaedler T. 2006 Phase evolution in the YO 1.5 –TiO 2 –ZrO 2 system and effects on ionic conductivity and toughness. Ph.D. dissertation Materials Department University of California Santa Barbara.
10.1016/S0921-5093(03)00470-2
10.1111/j.1151-2916.1989.tb06038.x
10.1016/0020-7683(89)90096-6
10.1016/S1359-6454(99)00216-5
10.1111/j.1151-2916.1986.tb07341.x
Wachtman J.B Mechanical properties of ceramics. 1996 New York NY:Wiley.
10.1016/j.actamat.2003.11.029

Dates

Type	When
Created	18 years, 5 months ago (March 8, 2007, 10:21 a.m.)
Deposited	4 years, 6 months ago (Feb. 21, 2021, 2:42 a.m.)
Indexed	2 weeks, 2 days ago (Aug. 5, 2025, 8:24 a.m.)
Issued	18 years, 5 months ago (March 6, 2007)
Published	18 years, 5 months ago (March 6, 2007)
Published Online	18 years, 5 months ago (March 6, 2007)
Published Print	18 years, 3 months ago (May 8, 2007)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Mercer_2007, title={On a ferroelastic mechanism governing the toughness of metastable tetragonal-prime ( t ′) yttria-stabilized zirconia}, volume={463}, ISSN={1471-2946}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2007.1829}, DOI={10.1098/rspa.2007.1829}, number={2081}, journal={Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences}, publisher={The Royal Society}, author={Mercer, C and Williams, J.R and Clarke, D.R and Evans, A.G}, year={2007}, month=mar, pages={1393–1408} }

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