Abrasive wear of carbide - Reinforced TZP composites

Zirconia particulate composites containing hard carbide inclusions show very good abrasive wear resistance when compared to other ceramic systems. In the present paper abrasive wear susceptibilities of composites containing WC, SiC, TiC, (Ti, W) C, Cr3C2 and Cr7C3 are compared. A hot-pressing technique was used to manufacture the composites. In the dry sand abrasive test several of the composites reveal properties significantly better than the TZP matrix. Some factors influencing the wear properties of these materials are identified; these are the stress state of the material and the inclusion dispersion.