X-Ray tomography of additive-manufactured zirconia: processing defects – strength relations

X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) analysis was applied to identify and quantify typical defects in dense 3Y-TZP zirconia processed by the Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM) technique. XCT derived strengths were anticipated from the XCT data and compared to experimental measurement. A good agreement between XCT data, bending strength measurement and fractographic analysis demonstrates the suitability of X-ray tomography for both defects detection and predictive mechanical strength estimation. It allows also to rank the different defects related to LCM in terms of their criticality versus mechanical resistance.