Effect of testing parameters on wear properties of alumina strengthen 3Y-TZP ceramics

The wear behaviours of alumina strengthen 3Y-TZP ceramics worn against high chromium cast iron under various testing conditions were investigated using a block-on-block tribometer. The results showed that the wear rate increases with the increasing of the load and the sliding time. Under the low load the main mechanism governing the wear properties of ceramic is the apparent plastic deformation and ploughing, and the wear rate rapidly increases and the wear mechanism changes into brittle fracture under high load. Meanwhile the wear resistance is depended on the properties of the abrasive particle. As expected, the wear resistance was increased with decreasing hardness of abrasive particle, but it was also influenced by the morphology, that is, the sharper the abrasive particle the higher wear rate.