Cubic zirconia which contained 10mol% of yttria was deformed in the <100> direction, and material which contained 15 or 20mol% of yttria was deformed in the <112> orientation, at between 1400C and the lowest possible temperature which avoided brittle failure. The 10% yttria material exhibited a marked increase in the flow stress along <100> with decreasing temperature. The materials with 15 or 20mol% yttria exhibited a higher flow stress along <112>; with a weak temperature dependence. The activation parameters for deformation were measured by means of stress relaxation and temperature-change tests. The microstructures were studied by using high-voltage transmission electron microscopy. The results were explained in terms of long-range interactions between dislocations, such as the Peierls mechanism at the lowest temperatures, precipitation hardening between 500 and 800C, and recovery-controlled deformation at higher temperatures.

Plastic Deformation of Yttria-Stabilized Cubic Zirconia Single Crystals I - Activation Parameters of Deformation. A.Tikhonovsky, M.Bartsch, U.Messerschmidt: Physica Status Solidi A, 2003, 201[1], 26-45