Strength and Fracture Toughness of Isostatically Hot‐Pressed Composites of Al ₂ O ₃ and Y ₂ O ₃ ‐Partially‐Stabilized ZrO ₂

Abstract

Composites of Al 2 O 3 and Y 2 O 3 partially‐stabilized ZrO 2 were isostatically hot‐pressed using submicrometer powders as the starting material. The addition of Al 2 O 3 resulted in a large increase in bending strength. The average bending strength for a composite containing 20 wt% Al 2 O 3 was 2400 MPa, and its fracture toughness was 17 MN·w −3/2