Effects of Particle Distribution on Transformation‐Induced Toughening in an MgO‐PSZ

Abstract

The fracture toughness of an 8.5 mol% MgO‐PSZ showed an unusual dependence on aging temperature, with a very sharp peak at about 1470°C, independent of aging time up to 6 h. The maximum toughness measured was ∼;12 MN/m 3/2 . Mi‐crostructural examination revealed that t ‐ZrO 2 precipitates nucleate homogeneously and are uniformly distributed below 1470°C. Above 1470°C they form widely spaced planar arrays, which are believed to result from elastic interactions between nuclei and growing t ‐ZrO 2 particles.