The crack resistance (R) curve behavior of a sintered Al₂O₃/ZrO₂ advanced refractory, AS8 (alumina with 8wt% monoclinic zirconia) developed by Garvie et al at the CSIRO Division of Materials Science and Technology, Australia was studied. The K_R-curves of the material were measured with several specimen geometries including the compact tension C(T), the double cantilever beam DB(M_z) and the single edge notched beam SE(B). Experimental observations of crack growth show that the pronounced K_R-curve behaviour of the refractory is mainly caused by crack-wake bridging. A new compliance technique is used to confirm the predominance of the crack bridging on the K_R-curve and to determine the bridging stress as a function of the crack face separation. It is shown that the K_R-curve predicted on the basis of this bridging stress function is in good agreement with those curves measured experimentally in the C(T) geometry.