Effects of load mode on mechanical properties of ZrO₂(2Y)/TRIP steel composites

The ZrO₂(2Y)/TRIP steel composites were prepared by vacuum hot-pressing sintering. The room temperature static tensile and dynamic yield strength were tested by the static tensile and Split Hopkinson pressure bar methods respectively. The effects of load mode on the static and dynamic mechanical behaviors were studied. The results show that the static tensile strength of the composites decreases with the increase of ZrO₂ content for the weak bonding of ZrO₂/ZrO₂. Under the dynamic load, the matrix TRIP steel produces the martensitic transformation, which improves the dynamic strength and deformation ability of the composites. When the volume fraction of ZrO₂ exceeds 20%, the strain-hardening coefficient and the dynamic deformation ability of the composites decrease.