CERAMIC MATERIAL, ROLLING BEARING AND CUTTING TOOL USING THE SAME AND PRODUCTION OF THE CERAMIC MATERIAL

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ceramic material comprising Al2O3-ZrO2 composite, which exhibits long life when it is used as tools or rolling bodies and to provide a method for producing rolling bearings using the same and the ceramic material. SOLUTION: The method for producing the ceramic material is comprised of weighing a prescribed amount of single crystal Al2O3 powder having an average particle size of 0.3 μm and a prescribed amount of ZrO2 powder having an average particle size of 0.3 μm, which has been made slurry and ultrasonically dispersed, then pulverizing and mixing the powders together with water being a solvent by a ball mill, and producing the ceramic material containing Al2O3 and ZrO2 in the volume ratio of the former to the latter of 99.5:0.5 to 80:20 as shown in the table. The resulting ceramic material is substantially free from aggregated particles of ZrO2 having diameters of >10 μm, thereby, the formation of fracture source (pore or the like) causing low stress fracture can be suppressed, and durability and mechanical strength can be improved.