Zirconia–spinel composites. Part II: mechanical properties

The mechanical properties (fracture strength, fracture toughness, and Vickers microhardness) of MgAl2O4 and x wt% ZrO2–MgAl2O4 (1 ≤ x ≤ 30) hot-pressed materials were measured at room temperature. Two kinds of materials, which were prepared from either ball-milled or attrited powders, were investigated. Compared with an unreinforced spinel, a twofold (or greater) increase in both strengthening and toughening was measured for materials with the highest zirconia content (30 wt%). It was found that dispersing only 1 wt% of zirconia in the spinel produced a marked increase in the Vickers microhardness. The total zirconia content appears to be a key parameter.