Alumina Toughened Zirconia (Al2O3-Zr) – CeramAlloy ATZ™

Alumina Toughened Zirconia (ATZ) is a high performance ceramic composite and a unique ceramic material by way of exhibiting a combination of high hardness, strength, wear and corrosion resistance resulting from its Alumina content, while still maintaining reasonably high fracture toughness resulting from its Zirconia content.

Precision Ceramics Alumina Toughened Zirconia ceramic composite is consolidated by a combination of conventional sintering and hot isostatic pressing, ensuring excellent mechanical properties and increased reliability. Its very high hardness makes it particularly suitable where challenging mechanical wear is present.

Material Advantages

  • High performance Alumina-Zirconia ceramic composite
  • Use temperatures up to 1500°C
  • Chemical inertness
  • Wear resistance
  • High bending strength
  • High fracture toughness
  • High hardness
  • Sintered to near theoretical density or Hot Isostatic Pressed for enhanced reliability
  • Higher strength than Zirconia while maintaining fracture toughness
  • Ideal for applications where higher mechanical strength is critical

Applications

  • High pressure equipment – ball valve balls and seats
  • Rollers and guides for metal forming
  • Thread and wire guides
  • Metal extrusion dies
  • Deep well down-hole valves and seats
  • Shaft bearings/bushings

    Material Properties

    General Properties

    Property Units CeramAlloy ATZ
    Composition Alumina/Zirconia
    Color White

    Mechanical Properties

    Property Units CeramAlloy ATZ
    Density g/cm3 5.5
    Young’s Modulus GPa 340
    Fracture Toughness MPa x m1/2 8
    Poisson’s Ratio 0.23 
    Compressive Strength MPa 2500
    Flexural Strength MPa 1800 (HIP)
    Hardness HV0.5
    GPa 14

    Thermal Properties

    Property Units CeramAlloy ATZ
    Max Use Temp °C 1200
    CTE1 25°C ➞ 400°C 10-6/°C 8
    Thermal Conductivity @ 25°C W/mK 6
    Thermal Shock Resistance ΔT °C 225

    1 Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) describes how the size of an object changes with a change in temperature.

    Electrical Properties

    Property Units CeramAlloy ATZ
    Dielectric Strength DC @ 25°C kV/mm 16
    Volume Resistivity @ 25°C Ω cm >1016

    Disclaimer: The values presented are mean and typical of those resulted from test samples. They are provided as an indication only to serve as guidance in the design of ceramic components and are not guaranteed in any way. The actual values can vary according to the shape and size of the envisioned component.

    Datasheets

    CeramAlloy ATZ Brand Image

    Alumina Toughened Zirconia

    CeramAlloy ATZ

    CeramAlloy Material Machining

    CeramAlloy can be machined in green, biscuit, or fully dense states. While in the green or biscuit form, it can be machined relatively easily into complex geometries. However, the sintering process that is required to fully densify the material causes the CeramAlloy body to shrink approximately 20%. This shrinkage means that it is impossible to hold very tight tolerances when machining the CeramAlloy pre-sintering.

    In order to achieve very tight tolerances, fully sintered material must be machined/ground with diamond tools. In this process a very precise diamond coated tool/wheel is used to abrade away the material until the desired form is created. Due to the inherit toughness and hardness of the material, this can be a time-consuming and costly process.

    Precision Ceramics is your machining specialist for your advanced ceramic prototyping & manufacturing needs. We use our many years of technical ceramics experience to provide advice on materials, designs, and applications. If you would like to buy CeramAlloy plates, rods, tubes or custom machined components, please contact us and one of our experts will be happy to assist you.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    • What can Zirconia Toughened Alumina ceramic (CeramAlloy) be used for?
      • Wire forming/drawing dies
      • Insulating rings in thermal processes
      • Precision shafts and axles in high wear environments
      • Wear resistance pads
      • Sandblasting nozzles
      • Refractory material
      • Extrusion dies
      • Bushings and caps
      • Fiber optic ferrules and sleeves
      • Bearings & rollers
      • Welding nozzles & pins
      • Laser parts
      • Electric insulator
      • Ceramic guiders
      • Medical and surgical component
      • Mechanical seals
      • Pumps, pistons, and liners
    • What's the difference between Zirconia, Alumina, and Zirconia Toughened Alumina (CeramAlloy)?

      While Zirconia has the highest fracture toughness of all the oxide monolith ceramic materials, Alumina is one of the most cost effective ceramic materials yet exhibiting very high hardness, thermal stability and favourable electrical properties. CeramAlloy ZTA is a composite material based on Alumina and Zirconia and therefore combining to a certain extent the favourable properties of the two main constituents. So CeramAlloy ZTA will retain the very high hardness of Alumina but also show an increase in fracture toughness and bending strength owing to its  Zirconia component so a true “best of both worlds”.

    • What are the properties of Zirconia Toughened Alumina (CeramAlloy)?

      The following are some general properties of CeramAlloy ZTA ceramic.

      • High density – up to 4.1 g/cm^3
      • High flexural strength and hardness
      • Good fracture toughness – moderate impact resistant
      • High maximum use temperature
      • Wear resistant
      • Good frictional behaviour- favourable coefficient of friction
      • Electrical insulator
      • Corrosion resistance in acids and alkalis
    • What is Zirconia Toughened Alumina ceramic (CeramAlloy)?

      CeramAlloy ZTA is a composite material based on Alumina and Zirconia and therefore combining to a certain extent the favourable properties of the two main constituents.