Vickers indentation cracks in zirconia containing ceramics very often
exhibit two non-connected mirror symmetric branches with kidney-shaped
morphology. Kidney cracks, generated with different indentation loads
(98-490 N) in 4 mol.% yttria-partially-stabilized-zirconia (4Y-PSZ),
are described and analysed by proposing a model which combines the obs
erved geometrical features with residual stress considerations. The cr
ack shape is affected by a radial decreasing hydrostatic stress field
originating in the plastic deformation zone underneath the impression
and with its centre al a certain depth from the surface. The hydrostat
ic stresses modify the generally assumed point force residual stress f
ield. The model provides a self-similar description of the residual st
ress intensity factor for kidney cracks from different indentation loa
ds. Furthermore, the experimental observation that one single half-pen
ny crack rather than the two kidney cracks forms at higher indentation
loads is explained by the model. For 4Y-PSZ a reasonably good agreeme
nt between the theoretically calculated and the experimentally observe
d critical transition load from kidney to half-penny geometry, P, is
obtained. The transition load varies with toughness, K-R, and hardness
, H, according to P similar to K-R(4)/H-3, indicating the relative in
fluence of deformation and fracture characteristics on crack morpholog
y. It must be concluded that the kidney-shaped contour is the dominant
geometry of elastic/plastic contact cracks in tough zirconia-containi
ng ceramics. Copyright (C) 1996 Acta Metallurgica Inc.