3D Finite Element Simulations of Indentation Fracture Test of ZrO2-Ceramics with Taking into Account its Microstructure

The present contribution is aimed to identify the microstructure of zirconia ceramics possessing the higher fracture toughness. 3D-FE-simulations of indentation testing with taking into account damage evolution in the cut-out of a microstructure have been performed in ZrO
2
-ceramics by using the FEM-Software ABAQUS CAE. We have performed the simulation of failure behavior of ZrO
2
-ceramics, considering the crack propagation both in the interior of grains (with Element Elimination Technique) as well as in grain boundaries (with Cohesive Zone Modeling approach of two different micro-structures. The constitutive behavior of the grains has been considered to be orthotropic elastic. The performed simulations could serve as an example of the solution of specific multiscale fracture mechanical problem and its application to design of materials.