Mechanical properties and fatigue life of ZrO2–Ta composites prepared by hot pressing

A matrix of yttria-stabilized zirconia (3Y-TZP) strengthened with Ta metal particles (20 vol.%) with lamellar shape was obtained by a wet-processing route of commercial powders and sintered by hot pressing at 1400 °C for 1 h. The microstructure, mechanical and fatigue properties of these novel ceramic–metal composites have been studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the mechanical properties of monolithic zirconia and new developed zirconia–Ta composite using biaxial flexural strength and cycle fatigue test. The present results show that under cyclic loading, the new ZrO2–Ta composites, have higher lifetime that biomedical grade ZrO2 material, whereas the fatigue limit of these composites have nearly the same value than the inert strength of monolithic zirconia.