EROSION BEHAVIOR AND EVALUATION OF EROSION RESISTANT AT(30)Z

Scanning electron microscopy observation and epsilon-ln V-n curves ana lysis are employed to investigate erosion behavior of a series of zirc onia-toughened AT(30) (70wt.%Al2O3-30wt. %TiC) ceramics, and evaluate their erosion resistance to various erosive situation. The results sho w that with increase of normal component of impact velocity, the erode d surfaces exhibit shallow detaching, radial cracking and plastic defo rmation. Addition of 20-60 wt.% tetragonal zirconia to AT(30) material s improves erosion resistance dramatically. Compared with high zirconi a content AT(30)Z ceramics, low zirconia ones have better erosion resi stance against high velocity erosion, yet weaker resistance against lo w velocity erosion.