MARTENSITIC-TRANSFORMATION IN ZRO2-BASED CERAMICS AT CRYOGENIC TEMPERATURES

The microstructural changes associated with the tetragonal to monoclin ic martensitic transformation at cryogenic temperatures in sintered Ce O2-ZrO2 ceramics containing 15.5-16.5 mol% CeO2 have been studied by m eans of TEM observations. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that th e stress-induced martensitic phase increases with decreases in both te mperature and CeO2 content. The effects of martensitic morphologies, a nti-phase boundaries (APBs) and various dislocation features on mechan ical properties are also discussed in the paper.