METHOD OF INCREASING CRACK RESISTANCE OF ZIRCONIUM DIOXIDE BASED MATERIALS Russian patent published in 2011 - IPC C04B35/00 C04B41/91 

FIELD: chemistry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to the technology of ceramic materials, particularly to zirconium dioxide based materials, and can be used in making articles with a complex shape, particularly parts of friction bearings and other friction pairs. The method of increasing crack resistance of zirconium dioxide based materials involves laser treatment of the surface of the zirconium dioxide crystal, carried out in pulsed mode of the laser with pulse duration of 1.5-4 ms, pulse-repetition frequency of 20 Hz, radiation energy of the laser pulses equal to 3-5 J and laser beam scanning rate of the surface of the crystal equal to 150 mm/min. Laser treatment of the surface of the crystal leads to local heating accompanied by phase conversion, which provides the required crystallographic structure.

EFFECT: high crack and wear resistance of zirconium dioxide based materials with possibility of obtaining given mechanical properties on separate areas of the ceramic specimen.