Cracking analysis of HVOF coatings under Vickers indentation

The fracture strength of five HVOF coatings, which are made of hard metals, Tribaloy alloy, and superalloys, respectively, coated on 1018 low carbon steel substrate, is studied under Vickers indentation, associated with FEA stress computation. The cross sections of the coating specimens are examined on a Hitachi Model S-570 scanning electron microscope (SEM), which investigates the quality and measures the geometry of the coatings. The mechanical properties of the coatings and the substrate are determined in the cross sections using the nano-indentation technique. The cracking behavior of the coatings under different indentation loads is investigated using a Vickers hardness tester. Three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) simulation of the Vickers indentation test is conducted to determine the stress fields in the coating/substrate systems in order to understand the fracture mechanisms of the coatings under the indentation loads using the ABAQUS software package. The FEA stress results are in good agreement with the experimental observation of Vickers indentation.     

Finite elements based approaches for the modelling of radial crack formation upon Vickers indentation in silicon nitride ceramics

By having superior properties silicon nitride ceramics can be considered as the state-of-the-art material in the bearing industry. Vickers indentation of this material is typically accompanied by formation of cracks visible on surface. Two Finite Elements models are developed in the current work: the first model is based on fracture mechanics and the second on cleavage stress criterion. Plastic behavior of silicon nitride is included in the modeling, and since little is known on the plasticity of this material, the Drucker-Prager model (used for non-metallic materials) along with the classical J₂-plasticity are explored. The results of the fracture mechanics based model correlate well with experimental results in terms of surface crack length. The numerical results in terms of the morphology of the indented zone (including cracks and plastic zone) are provided by the stress criterion based model, and these results correlate well too, with the experimental data.     

Densification effects on the fracture in fused silica under Vickers indentation

This study investigates the effects of densification on the deformation and fracture in fused silica under Vickers indentation by both the finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental tests. A refined elliptical constitutive model was used, which enables us to investigate the effects of the evolution of yield stress under pure shear and elastic properties with densification. The densification distribution was predicted and compared with experiments. The plastic deformation and indentation stress fields were used to analyze the initiation and morphology of various crack types. The formation mechanism of borderline cracks was revealed for the first time. This study reveals that the asymmetry of the densification distribution and elastic-plastic boundary significantly influences the cracking behavior. Under the Vickers indentation, conical cracks have the largest penetration depth. When these cracks emerge from a region far from the impression, they extend with constant radii to form circles on the sample surface. Otherwise, they tend to be initiated at the centers of the indenter-material contact edges before propagating towards the impression corners with increasing radii. Therefore, the borderline cracks consisting of successive partial conical cracks can form at a low load and makes them the first type of crack to appear.     

Synthesis and characterization of zirconia toughened alumina ceramics prepared by co-precipitation method

Undoped and 3 mol% yttrium doped ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ composite powders with partially stabilized ZrO₂ (PSZ) content varying from 0 to 30 wt% were prepared by a co-precipitation route using inorganic precursors Al(NO₃)₃, ZrOCl₂ and Y(NO₃)₃. The precipitates were characterized by DTA and subsequently calcined at 1200 °C for 4 h to achieve fine grained composite powders. The calcined powders were characterized by FTIR and XRD. In order to enhance the sinterability, the calcined powders were wet milled in a high energy ball mill. Powders were uniaxially pressed to form pellets and sintered at 1600 °C for 5 h to achieve greater than 96% relative density. Microstructural analysis of the sintered compacts revealed the uniform distribution of the zirconia particles among the alumina matrix. It was also observed that the faceted intergranular zirconia grains were present at the grain boundaries and junctions in the alumina matrix. Vickers indentation was carried out at 1 kgf load for hardness and 2 kgf load for estimating the critical stress concentration factor (K_c). Microscopic studies of the indented samples showed that cracks were propagating around the grain boundaries. Highest K_c ∼8.40 ± 0.4 MPa√m and hardness ∼16.31 ± 0.58 GPa was obtained for the 30 wt% PSZ-Al₂O₃ composite. The sintered density and critical stress intensity factor (K_c) achieved were compararble to that achieved earlier by hot press and SPS.     

Statistical evaluation of nano-structured hydroxyapatite mechanical characteristics by employing the Vickers indentation technique

In this study, the mechanical characteristics of hydroxyapatite (HA) against the Vickers indenter under different loads were investigated. For this purpose, the HA powders were first synthesized by a one-pot solvothermal method. The powders were then subjected to consolidating by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) method for mechanical evaluation. Characterization methods used in this study included X-rays diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Vickers indentation technique. The findings of this study showed that the morphology of the synthesized powders by solvothermal method were rod-shaped and nanometer-sized. As the applied load increased to 2 N, the elastic modulus increased but the hardness did not change much. At a constant force, the contact depth increased with decreasing elastic modulus and hardness. Also, increasing contact depth increased the stiffness and contact area. The results of this study will be useful for investigating the mechanical properties of HA based materials.     

Formation of translucent nanostructured zirconia ceramics

In this work the mechanisms that affect the optical transparency of nanostructured translucent ZrO₂ ceramics are studied. The translucent ceramic samples were obtained from a low agglomeration nanosized powder at low pressure and low temperature sintering. Even low pressures cause structural changes and defect creation in the nanocrystals. Annealing was used to study the grain formation, structure and impact of defects. Significant changes in translucency were observed with increase in pore size. In order to further understand the defect creation, the obtained ceramics were doped with Er³⁺ ions and studied optically. Photoluminescence studies revealed a change in the ratio of green to red parts of the spectrum as well as luminescence quenching when samples were pressed into pellets. Additionally, grain and pore size dependence on annealing temperatures was studied using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.     

Sintered ZrO2–TiO2 ceramic composite and its mechanical appraisal

This work mainly considered the effect of different TiO₂ additions and of sintering temperatures on the structural change, densification and mechanical properties of ZrO₂–TiO₂ ceramic composites obtained by cold compaction and subsequent sintering. The results demonstrated that the structural transformation happens from pristine monoclinic zirconia into tetragonal zirconia, amount of cubic phase in as-obtained ZrO₂–TiO₂ specimens could be distinguished as well. The increasing concentration of TiO₂ addition facilitated lower the sintering temperature and densification of ZrO₂ matrix. The grain growth and bulk density of ZrO₂–TiO₂ ceramic composites varied with the sintering temperatures and dopant concentrations. Full evaluation of the role of TiO₂ addition and sintering temperature on the mechanical properties of ZrO₂–TiO₂ samples was carried out in terms of Vickers hardness, flexural strength and fracture toughness. In particular, the ZrO₂ matrix with a value of 5 wt % TiO₂ generated the desired flexural strength and fracture toughness at the sintering temperature of 1400 °C.     

Spherical indentation for brittle fracture toughness evaluation by considering kinked-cone-crack

This work aims at evaluating the fracture toughness of brittle materials by spherical indentation. The cone-cracking is simulated by the extended finite element method (XFEM) in Abaqus. The formation of a kinked-cone-crack is observed when the indenter comes into (second) contact with the surface part outside the ring-crack. The effects of friction, Poisson’s ratio and cone-crack kinking on the Roesler’s constant κ_c are analyzed. Based on numerical results, the Roesler’s method for evaluating the fracture toughness is enhanced by considering kinked-cone-crack. By performing systematic XFE analyses, a database for enhanced Roesler’s constant κ_c | _kink is provided for the fracture toughness evaluation of brittle materials. Finally, the proposed method is verified by conducting spherical indentation tests on soda-lime glass specimens.     

Bonding of novel self-glazed zirconia dental ceramics

ABSTRACT

Bonding behaviours of a novel self-glazed zirconia dental material were investigated. The effect of a preformed porous nanoceramic bonding surface and the different cleansing methods on saliva-contaminated bonding surfaces was assessed in this in vitro study. Cleaning procedures commonly used in dental offices were tested. All specimens demonstrated adhesive fracture patterns except for airborne particle abrasion group, which resulted in mixed-type fracture pattern and the highest bonding force values. No statistically significant differences in bonding force values were found between self-glazed zirconia with and without a preformed porous nanoceramic bonding surface when bonded with the self-adhesive resin cement (RelyX? Unicem 2). Scanning electron micrographs revealed no interaction between the bonding surface and the resin cement after priming. Mechanical retention is the predominant bonding mechanism between the bonding surface and the luting resin cement.     

压痕法研究ZrO2层状复合陶瓷的抗热震性

用压痕法测试了单层和层状两种ZrO2陶瓷材料的抗热震性能.研究结果表明ZrO2层状复合陶瓷的临界热震温差△Tc=400℃,比ZrO2单层陶瓷高出150℃左右,同时还表现出其△Tc与陶瓷厚度无关的优异性质.现场试验结果也证明,ZrO2层状复合陶瓷抵抗1500℃冷热骤变的能力优于ZrO2单层陶瓷.研究认为,界面压应力作用部分或全部抵消了热冲击应力,使裂纹在界面处发生偏转,提高了材料的断裂能和断裂功,导致材料的抗热震性提高.     

The mechanical response characteristics of sapphire under dynamic and quasi-static indentation loading

Sapphire is widely used as optical materials and substrate materials due to its excellent physical and chemical properties. The mechanism of crack propagation and fracture damage evolution has important significance for improving the manufacturing quality and application performance of sapphire parts. In this study, dynamic and quasi-static indentation tests have been performed on the c-plane and a-plane of sapphires by Hopkinson pressure bar tester and continuous indentation tester, respectively. The crack propagation path in sapphire has been captured by High-speed camera and the crack velocity has been calculated. The crack propagation and fracture damage evolution has been analyzed based on the fracture morphology of specimen. It was found that the bearing capacity of sapphire is related to the loading velocity, while the crack propagation is affected by the crystal orientation. Under the indentation loading, the cracks in sapphire first propagate steadily, and then the cracks begin to propagate uncontrollably after reaching the critical conditions, where the crack propagation velocity obviously increases, typically from 204?m/s to 1006?m/s (dynamic indentation) or from 0.0032?m/s to 820?m/s (quasi-static indentation). And the crack propagation velocity depends on the loading speed at stable stage. The r-planes of sapphire are weaker than other crystal planes and are prone to crack propagation.     

Enhanced mechanical properties of yttrium doped ZnO nanoparticles as determined by instrumented indentation technique

Yttrium doped (1, 3 and 5?wt%) zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized via sol-gel process. The phase, structural and mechanical properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and micro hardness based on indentation technique. The lattice parameters and grain sizes of the samples were calculated from the XRD data. As the lattice parameters increased, the grain sizes decreased dramatically, resulting in more grain boundaries and strong grain connectivity in the ZnO microstructure. Load-depth curves were obtained by applying indentation loads in the range from 400 to 2000?mN at room temperature. As the Y concentration increased, a significant increase was observed in the hardness values computed from loading-unloading curves using the Oliver and Pharr method. The indentation modulus of the samples reached a saturation value for 3% Y and then decreased as the doping rate increased. Moreover, the crack formation around the indent on the sample surface was examined by electron microscopy and was identified as radial/median type. The fracture toughness of the samples was calculated using the Vickers indentation fracture method. Increased fracture toughness values confirm that ZnO nanoparticles are mechanically strengthened by Y doping.     

A critical evaluation of indentation crack lengths in air

An extensive overview is presented of Vickers indentation crack lengths in ceramics in air. Measurement of such crack lengths is one of the most common and powerful assessments of the fracture properties of ceramics and the overview provides a critical evaluation of observed behavior as functions of material type and indentation load, and an extensive basis for comparison of results from new materials and analyses. The overview considers single crystals, polycrystals, transforming materials, glasses, and multiphase materials, including cermets, glass-ceramics, and tooth enamel. The coverage extends over structural and electronic ceramics, including oxides, carbides, nitrides, and titanates. The data are presented in a single format for ease of interpretation in terms of idealized indentation fracture and for inter-material comparisons; most data are unique to this work, but the results of selected studies from the published literature are included. The overview considers the precision and accuracy of crack length measurements and demonstrates a simple quantitative evaluation and ranking scheme for ceramic fracture based on load-adjusted crack length and cracking susceptibility. Indentation hardness and cracking threshold are also determined and related to the susceptibility. Material toughness is related to cracking susceptibility by fracture mechanics analyses: typical crack length measurements in air are shown to provide estimates of inert toughness with a relative uncertainty of ±50%.     

Determining the Toughness of Ceramics from Vickers Indentations Using the Crack-Opening Displacements: An Experimental Study

Recently, a method for evaluating the fracture toughness of ceramics has been proposed by Fett based on the computed crack-opening displacements of cracks emanating from Vickers hardness indentations. To verify this method, experiments have been conducted to determine the toughness of a commercial silicon carbide ceramic, Hexoloy SA, by measuring the crack-opening profiles of such Vickers indentation cracks. Although the obtained toughness value of K _o= 2.3 MPa·m^1/2 is within 10% of that measured using conventional fracture toughness testing, the computed crack-opening profiles corresponding to this toughness display poor agreement with those measured experimentally, raising concerns about the suitability of this method for determining the toughness of ceramics. The effects of subsurface cracking and cracking during loading are considered as possible causes of such discrepancies, with the former based on direct observations of lateral subsurface cracks below the indents.     

Effect of zirconia addition amount in glaze on mechanical properties of porcelain slabs

Applying toughened glaze layer on porcelain slabs can improve the fracture toughness of slabs and greatly reduce the production cost. In this study, porcelain slabs glaze with high toughness was fabricated by the processes of impregnation glazing and single firing method, using opaque frits, kaolin clay as the main raw materials, zirconia as an additive, and the effect of the addition amount of zirconia in glaze on fracture toughness of porcelain slabs was investigated. The results showed that the type and content of crystal phase of the glaze were greatly influenced by the addition amount of zirconia. Meanwhile, compared with the base glaze, the hardness and fracture toughness of the sample with zirconia glaze were significantly improved. Porcelain slabs with 10 wt% zirconia in glaze, sintering at 1200 °C, exhibited higher quality glaze and outstanding properties, including a water absorption of 1.95%, a Vickers hardness of 6.36 GPa, and a fracture toughness of 2.71 MPa m^1/2. The toughening mechanism of the glaze layer was as follows: a large number of zirconium silicate grains with high hardness were generated by the reaction of added zirconia with silica in the glass phase, which increased the content of crystal phase and then prevented the propagation of cracks; moreover during the martensitic transformation of the tetragonal zirconia grains, the volume and shear strain were generated to offset the stress field generated by the crack tip, thus toughening the material.     

Quantitative analysis of toughening effect of crack deflection on Si3N4/Si2N2O composites through improved indentation method

In this study, Si₃N₄/Si₂N₂O composite ceramics prepared by hot pressing were used as an example, and the material fracture morphology and fracture mechanism were analyzed. Based on the formula of fracture toughness measured by an indentation method, a quantitative computation method was proposed to determine the toughened effect of ceramic materials resulting from the crack deflection by the second phase. The grain size and sintering density are increased with the increase of sintering temperature. The toughening effects resulting from the crack deflection is increased, and the main mode of fracture is transformed into the transgranular fracture. The Si₂N₂O grains can play a role in the toughening process because these grains can hinder the cracks extending along the radial direction. However, when the cracks extend in the axial direction, the toughening effect of Si₂N₂O grains is not obvious because of the internal stacking faults in the axial direction. The improved indentation method can quantitatively analyze the toughening effect of the second phase of composite ceramics, and the validity of this method are verified by comparing the fracture toughness of Si₃N4/Si₂N₂O and fine grained β- Si₃N₄ ceramics.     

Processing of yttria stabilized zirconia reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes with attractive mechanical properties

The improvement of the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube reinforced polycrystalline yttria-stabilized zirconia (CNT-YSZ) was questionable in earlier investigations due to several difficulties for processing of these composites. In the present article, the authors are proposing a successful technique for mixing pre-dispersed CNTs within YSZ particles followed by a fast spark plasma sintering at relatively low temperature, resulting in near full-dense structure with well-distributed CNTs. Composites with CNT quantities ranging within 0.5-5 wt% have been analyzed and a significant improvement in mechanical properties, i.e. Young's modulus, indentation hardness and fracture toughness with respect to monolithic YSZ could be observed. To support these interesting mechanical properties, high-resolution electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy measurements have been carried out. The analysis of densification shows that the lower densification rate of CNT reinforced composites with respect to the pure YSZ could be attributed to a slower grain boundary sliding or migration during sintering.     

Numerical investigation of crack initiation,propagation and suppression in robot-assisted abrasive belt grinding of zirconia ceramics via an improved chip-thickness model

Motivated by the prevailing assisted techniques in wheel grinding of brittle and hard materials, an attempt is made in this paper to identify the feasibility of robot-assisted abrasive belt grinding of zirconia ceramics. Owing to the flexible machining system, the challenge of this attempt resides in achieving the required profile accuracy and surface quality, in which the evolution of grinding-induced micro-cracks is prioritized. The single-grit scratching simulation based on an improved chip-thickness model that incorporates elastic modules of tool-workpiece engagement is employed to explore the damage mechanism in terms of the initiation, propagation and suppression of micro-cracks. The simulation results demonstrate that the critical depth of cut for brittle-to-ductile transition of zirconia ceramics is determined as 0.42 μm according to the tentative maximum undeformed chip thickness (UCT) values. In ductile-regime grinding, the zirconia surface morphologies are independent of the abrasive particle velocity. Lateral cracks begin to initiate especially when the maximum UCT exceeds 0.42 μm, and the brittle removal becomes dominant. In brittle-regime grinding, high abrasive particle velocity could help substantially enhance the workpiece surface integrity by suppressing the median/radial cracks that initiate once the maximum UCT approaches 0.8 μm. Experiment concerning the force-controlled robotic belt grinding of zirconia ceramics is conducted to verify the simulation results via the microscope observation of ground surface morphologies. The findings are likely to provide experimental evidence on the feasibility of belt grinding of brittle and hard materials with a flexible industrial robot.