Effect of CuO addition on the superplasticity of Y-TZP

Superplasticity was studied on both CuO doped and undoped Y-TZP (yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals). The addition of CuO was effective in reducing the sintering temperature and thus resulted in a fine grain size. The most significant effect of CuO addition was the reduction of the flow stress and the range of temperature where the specimen could be plastically deformed. However, the elongation to failure remained moderate, typically in the range of 100 to 250%, which is similar to the undoped specimen. Parameters describing the superplasticity were also evaluated.