| Zircar Zirconia, Inc. employs the original "ZIRCAR PROCESS " to manufacture Yttria stabilized Zirconia fibers, textile and rigid insulation products. They also manufacture alumina and exotic oxide fiber products with this unique method. In addition, they offer 30 years of experience machining custom parts and constructing fiber insulation assemblies. The “Zircar Process” replicates the gross physical structure of an organic precursor fiber into a ceramic fiber structure. Typically these fibers are 6 to 10 microns in diameter and have a serrated outside surface. All ZY products are phase stabilized with ~10wt% yttria (yttrium oxide) to maintain a stable tetragonal / cubic structure. The yttria, in a solid solution within the zirconia, stabilizes the tetragonal / cubic structure by preventing the monoclinic to tetragonal crystal transformation that occurs at 1170°C in un-stabilized or insufficiently stabilized zirconia. This undesirable phase transformation would cause an 11% volume change in the crystal unit cell size that can cause micro-cracking and reduced physical strength in the bulk solid. |
