Correlations between production process, states and mechanical properties of microspecimens made of zirconia

For a safe design of micromechanical components, a reliable database of their properties is required. The existing material properties of macroscopic specimens normally cannot be used due to the neglect of some important aspects of the “micro world”, e.g. the ratio of surface to volume is much higher which results in a larger influence of surface defects on the material strength. Detailed analysis of the microstructure and surface topography of microcomponents in combination with their mechanical properties is very expedient for straight-forward optimization of the manufacturing process. Using the resulting data of the properties investigated, correlations between production process, states and mechanical properties of the micro bending specimens made of ZrO₂ using low-pressure injection molding were identified. These correlations will be used to established a concept for dimensioning of mechanically loaded microparts.