Mechanical Properties of Ceramics Prepared from a Nanocrystalline ZrO2 - 3 mol.% Y2O3 Powder

Ceramics of ZrO^sub 2^ - 3 mol.% Y^sub 2^O^sub 3^ composition prepared from commercial raw materials by cold isostatic pressing technique at sintering temperatures from 1100 to 1500°C are studied. Best mechanical properties were found in material sintered at 1350°C: density, 5.95 g/cm^sup 3^; bending strength, 1200 MPa, and crack resistance, about 18 MPa m^sup 1/2^. The mechanical properties of ceramic materials sintered at 1300 and 1500°C are inferior by roughly a factor of 1.5, despite virtually the same density and grain size. This difference is explained as due to the different properties of the intergranular material in ceramics sintered at different temperatures.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]