The role of grain-boundary sliding in deformation of ceramic materials was analyzed from an atomic force microscopy investigation of the change in surface topography during high-temperature deformation of yttria-partially-stabilized zirconia polycrystals. On the basis of transmission electron microscopic observations of strained specimens, an attempt was made to model the accommodation mechanism of grain-boundary sliding.

Grain-Boundary Sliding and Accommodation Mechanism during Creep of Yttria-Partially-Stabilized Zirconia. R.Duclos, J.Crampon, C.Carry: Philosophical Magazine Letters, 2002, 82[10], 529-33