Transformation-induced damping behaviour of Y-TZP zirconia ceramics

Stiffness and internal friction of yttria-stabilised tetragonal zirconia ceramics (Y-TZP) with varying yttria content (2–3 mol%) were measured between room temperature and 1000 K with the use of the impulse excitation technique (IET). The contribution of transformation-related damping events to internal friction is recognised and separated from damping due to elastic dipole relaxation. Damping effects associated with tetragonal-to-monoclinic and reversed ZrO2-phase transformation and low temperature degradation (LTD), are identified with the help of dilatometry. The experimental results indicate that 2Y-TZP with an inhomogeneous yttria distribution shows controlled transformation induced damping behaviour and less susceptibility to LTD during thermal cycling compared to a co-precipitated 2Y-TZP material with homogeneous Y-distribution.