Investigations of the Mechanical Properties of an Alumina Toughened Zirconia Ceramic for an Application in Joint Prostheses

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to investigate the mechanical properties of a ZrO2- Al2O3 composite ceramic. The mechanical strenght, wear behaviour and phase composition of the ceramic composite were analysed. The tested material showed a significantly higher bending strength compared to Al2O3- and ZrO2-Ceramic. According to the results of ring-on-disc, the wear rates were comparable to the Al2O3-Ceramic.

Low‐Temperature Aging Behavior of Alumina‐Toughened Zirconia

“…The present work has pointed out that the ATZ‐ceramic composite investigated (80 wt% Y‐TZP and 20 wt% alumina) exhibits decelerated aging progress in a humid atmosphere at body temperature after 50 years in vivo compared with 3Y‐TZP investigated by Chevalier et al 33 The saturation limit of the monoclinic phase content after aging was below 60 wt% m ‐ZrO 2 in relation to the total amount of ATZ ceramic (equivalent 75 wt% m‐ZrO 2 relating to the amount of Y‐TZP in the sample). The advantages of the ATZ studied are the overall lower transformation rate constants k compared with Y‐TZP 28,33 accompanied by a related fracture toughness and a much higher bending strength 22 …”

“…The advantages of the ATZ studied are the overall lower transformation rate constants k compared with Y-TZP 28,33 accompanied by a related fracture toughness and a much higher bending strength. 22 According to the optical interferometer investigations, the volume expansion factor (VEF) g was assumed to be 0.032 and was proved by the results. Evidently, optical interferometry can also be used for determination of the monoclinic fraction.…”

“…The studied alumina‐toughened zirconia (ATZ) ceramic is composed by 80 wt% 3Y‐TZP and 20 wt% Al 2 O 3 . This material combines the hardness and wear resistance of alumina and the fracture toughness as well as biaxial bending strength of zirconia 22 . The ATZ ceramic that is used for the experiments exhibits optimized mechanical properties, particularly a bending strength of 1160 MPa at a Weibull modulus of 13 and a fracture toughness of 5.2 MPa·m 1/2 23 .…”

“…This material combines the hardness and wear resistance of alumina and the fracture toughness as well as biaxial bending strength of zirconia. 22 The ATZ ceramic that is used for the experiments exhibits optimized mechanical properties, particularly a bending strength of 1160 MPa at a Weibull modulus of 13 and a fracture toughness of 5.2 MPa Á m 1/2 . 23 It is thought that the addition of alumina increases the hydrothermal stability of the tetragonal phase because it could work as a barrier for the propagation of phase transformation into the bulk.…”

Ceramics and ceramic coatings in orthopaedics

“…All have been tested and determined to be biocompatible [163,164]. They have excellent strength, toughness, and hardness [154,165,166], and are highly abrasion [167] and wear resistant [168][169][170][171][172][173][174]. Clinical studies using these devices have been on-going since their introduction with acceptable overall outcomes [172,[175][176][177][178].…”