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[References: 13 tit.]

The paper discusses the wear resistance, friction coefficient, and structure of friction surfaces of fine-grained (0.2 [mu]m) Y-TZP-Al[2]O[3] composite rubbed against a steel disk counterface at a pressure of 5 MPa in a range of sliding speeds from 1 to 20 m/sec. It is shown that, starting at 2 m/sec, the fricti on surface is subdivided by a crack network into separate regions within which local spalling occurs at the maximum wear rate and a sliding speed of 5 m/sec. X-ray diffraction reveals inversion (with respect to the initial state) of the peak intensities of the tetragonal phase with random crystalline grain orientation. The degree of this inversion increases with sliding speed. These results are discussed in terms of the effects exerted by the reorientation of martensite-free deformation twins in the tetragonal phase and the formation of a quasi-liquid film on the wear resistance of fine-grained Y-TZP-Al[2]O[3].