Experimental analysis and numerical simulations of the mechanical properties of a (Ce,Y)-TZP/Al2O3/H6A ceramic composite containing coupled toughening mechanisms

Objectives: This study investigates the simulation of the mechanical behavior of a bioceramic composite based on (Ce,Y)-TZP reinforced with equiaxed Al2O3 and platelet-shaped hexaaluminate (H6A) grains using Finit Element Method (FEM). Methods: A commercial (Ce, Y)-TZP/Al2O3 ceramic powder was compacted into disc-shaped specimens that were sintered at 1500 degrees C for 2 h. The sintered samples were further subjected to hydrothermal degradation in an autoclave at 134 degrees C, 0.2 MPa, for 10 h and characterized according to their phase composition, microstructure, and relative density. Their flexural strength values were determined by the piston-on-three-ball test, and Weibull statistics was used to evaluate the results. Their hardness, fracture toughness and elastic parameters were also measured. Numerical simulations of the biaxial strength test were performed using the ABAQUS finite element code. Results: The sintered ceramic composite material presented relative density >99%, high resistance to hydrothermal degradation, average hardness of 1435 +/- 35 HV, fracture toughness KIC of 9.7 +/- 0.5 MPa m(1/2), and average biaxial flexural strength of 952.6 +/- 88 MPa. The numerical predictions of the biaxial flexural strength showed a consistently lower average biaxial flexural strength value of 880.9 MPa, similar to 10% lower than the average experimental results. Conclusions: The differences observed are attributed to the complex coupled toughness mechanisms of this material, not included in the finite element simulations.

Automated summary

This study investigates the mechanical behavior of a bioceramic composite using Finit Element Method. The experimental results show that the composite material has high resistance to hydrothermal degradation and flexural strength, while the numerical predictions of flexural strength are slightly lower than the experimental results.