Focused Ion Beam tomography of the damage produced in zirconia toughened alumina

Abstract

Two different three-dimensional reconstructions of the crack propagation induced by mechanical testing in zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) were made. The first tomography is of the damage caused by an indentation, with the objective to visualize how the crack propagates inside of the material and how it interacts with the different phases that compose the material. The second reconstruction is based on the damage caused by a scratch test on the surface of the material and the fissures generated. By doing a Focused Ion Beam (FIB) tomography it is possible to understand what happens inside of the material when a mechanical test is performed, instead of just the surface. From the fissures obtained by both the indentation and the scratch tests, it can be calculated if the crack has a phase propagation tendency, the tortuosity of the crack, the crack opening displacement and a complete characterization of the material. Also, the precise reconstruction of the microstructure and geometry of the different phase grains is possible. A comparison between the two samples is done regarding all the previously mentioned aspects to study.