Mechanical strength and microstructure of Stabilor-G® and ZrO2 microspecimens

For a safe design of micromechanical components reliable data of mechanical properties at static and cyclic loadings are of vital interest. Such data together with a detailed analysis of the microstructure are also useful for a straight forward optimization of the manufacturing process. Therefore, in the present study the mechanical behavior of microcast Stabilor-G (R) microspecimens under quasistatic and cyclic loadings and of slip cast and micro powder injection molded ZrO2 microspecimens under quasistatic loadings was determined. Together with a microscopic characterization of the specimens it could be shown that the elastic-plastic behavior of Stabilor-G (R) microspecimens is strongly determined by grain anisotropy. In fatigue tests cyclic hardening occurs. The scatter of the lifetimes is not larger than observed at cast macrospecimens. The failure behavior of ZrO2 microspecimens under quasistatic bending is mainly determined by surface roughness and near surface porosities as well as by the edge geometry. The highest characteristic bending strength which currently can be reached is nearly 3,200 Mpa.