GRINDING OF TRANSFORMATION TOUGHENING CERIA-STABILIZED TETRAGONAL ZIRCONIA POLYCRYSTALS

Tetragonal zirconia polycrystals undergo phase changes under the influence of stress and temperature. Grinding, with its associated stress and temperature, can trigger these transformations. Hence, the choice of grinding parameters should be based not only on the force pattern and surface finish but also on the surface damage due to phase transformations. In the present work, the grinding parameters are assessed for sintered ceria stabilized tetragonal zirconia by conducting grinding studies, the nature of surface production being discussed.