Wear resistance of zirconias. Dielectrical approach

The wear resistance of stabilized zirconias was investigated on both a ball-on-flat machine and an impact apparatus (Vibratory mill Dangoumeau). Those tests allowed us to determine, respectively, the friction resistance and the impact resistance. If for pure friction it is not easy to differentiate the Magnesia Partially Stabilized Zirconias (MgPSZ) from the Yttria Tetragonal Zirconia Polycrystal (YTZP), after impact tests, we can conclude that the YTZP have a better wear behaviour than the MgPSZ, especially in the case of attrition applications. These differences can be explained in terms of test severity and also in terms of energy relaxation. In order to evaluate this last contribution we have studied the dielectrical behavior of our materials, i.e., their ability to store and dissipate polarization energy. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scienbce S.A.