Evaluation of Phase Transformation and Mechanical Properties of Metastable Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia by Nanoindentation.

Microscopical nonuniformity of mechanical properties caused by phase transformation is one of the main reasons for the failure of the materials in engineering applications. Accurate measurement of the mechanical properties of each phase is of virtual importance, in which the traditional approach like Vickers hardness cannot accomplish, due to the large testing range. In this study, nanoindentation is firstly used to analyze the mechanical properties of each phase and demonstrate the phase transformation in thermal barrier coatings during high-temperature aging. The distribution of T-prime metastable tetragonal phase, cubic and tetragonal phase is determined by mapping mode of nanoindentation and confirmed with X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope observation. The results show that during 1300 °C aging, the phase transition of metastable Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia induces the quick decrease of T' phase content and an increase of T and C phases accordingly. It is found that there are some fluctuations in the mechanical properties of individual phase during annealing. The hardness and Young's modulus of T' increase at first 9 h, due to the precipitation of Y