Structural-phase transformations in near-surface layers of alumina-zirconium ceramics induced by low-energy high-current electron beams

The effect of low-energy high-current electron beams (LEHCEBs) at E = 15 keV on mechanical characteristics of near-surface layers of alumina-zirconium ceramics (AZC) of the 20Al2O3-80ZrO2(Y) composition (in mass %) is investigated by the method of dynamic indentation. It is shown that electron-beam treatment reduces Young's modulus and nanohardness of this ceramic material. The action of LEHCEBs on the structural-phase state of modified subsurface layers of AZC specimens is analyzed. Their elemental and phase compositions are examined using several techniques: electron-probe X-ray spectral microanalysis (EPMA), secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), and X-ray diffractometry. It is found out that irradiation of the ceramic material by LEHCEBs stimulates the transitions of an m-phase of zirconium dioxide into a tetragonal modification, and results in a considerable decrease in the alumina phase. Based on the analysis of the data obtained, a conclusion is drawn that it is the processes resulting from irradiation and giving rise to formation of a subsurface layer with a phase composition different from that of the bulk material, which are responsible for the effect of modification of the material mechanical property.