Feature articleFractography of self-glazed zirconia with improved reliability

The fractography of a new grade of zirconia ceramics, known as self-glazed zirconia, was investigated. The as-sintered intact top surface was made with superior smoothness that mimicked the optical appearances of the natural teeth enamel. The beneath surface opposite to this was made hierarchically rough with microscopic pits of the size up to 60 μm together with grain-level roughness of about 2 μm. The three-point bending test of the samples made with the hierarchically rough surface being tensile one demonstrated an average bending strength of 1120 ± 70 MPa and a Weibull modulus of as high as 18 ascribed to the improved structural homogeneity. Surface topography was found the main origins of crack initiation leading to fracture. The observed unusually predominant transgranular fracture mode of submicron-sized grains disclosed a possible toughening mechanism of disassembling of mesocrystalline grains that differs significantly from the commonly quoted phase transformation toughening of this category of ceramics.