Cavitation-erosion of 3Y-TZPs obtained at different sintering temperatures

The cavitation-erosion resistance of tetragonal zirconia polycrystals with 3 mol% Y2O3 (3Y-TZPs) has been studied in specimens sintered in the temperature range from 1500 to 1590 °C. The study presents mass loss measurements after exposure to ultrasonic cavitation in conjunction with X-ray diffraction oriented to identify the ratio between tetragonal and monoclinic phases and the evolution of compressive residual stresses resulting from the phase transformation induced in a cavitating medium. The results showed an outstanding performance under cavitation of all tested 3Y-TZPs. This behavior was attributed to compressive residual stresses of up to 300 MPa produced as a consequence of the volume change associated with the tetragonal–monoclinic phase transformation. The study did not reveal significant cavitation resistance differences between specimens sintered at different temperatures in the range 1500–1590 °C.

► Tetragonal zirconia polycrystals were subjected to cavitation-erosion tests.
► The study was carried out on samples sintered at different temperatures.
► Zirconia-based materials exhibit an outstanding resistance to cavitation-erosion.
► The high cavitation resistance was attributed to compressive residual stresses.
► Sintering temperature does not seem to be an important variable.