CHAPTER 12: mechanical properties of

ceramics

ISSUES TO ADDRESS...
• Mechanical Properties:

What special provisions/tests are made for ceramic

materials?

Chapter 12- 1
COORDINATION # AND IONIC RADII
r cation
• Coordination # increases with r anion
Issue: How many anions can you
arrange around a cation?

r cation ZnS
Coord #
r anion (zincblende)
Adapted from Fig. 12.4,
< .155 2 Callister 6e.

.155-.225 3 NaCl
(sodium
.225-.414 4 chloride)
Adapted from Fig. 12.2, Callister
6e.
.414-.732 6
CsCl
(cesium
.732-1.0 8 chloride)
Adapted from Fig. 12.3, Callister
Adapted from Table 12.2, 6e.
Callister 6e.
Chapter 12- 4
 Measuring elastic modulus
• Room T behavior is usually elastic, with brittle failure.
• 3-Point Bend Testing often used.
--tensile tests are difficult for brittle materials
-- cannot machine or grip specimens, 0.1% fracture strain,
cross section F
L/2 L/2 Adapted from Fig. 12.29,
Callister 6e.
d R
b δ= midpoint
rect. circ.
deflect ion
• Determine elastic modulus according to:
F F L3 F L3
x E= =
F δ 4bd 3 δ 12πR4
slope =
δ rect. circ.
cross cross
δ section section
linear-elastic behavior
Chapter 12- 9
 Measuring strength
• 3-point bend test to measure room T strength.
cross section F
L/2 L/2 Adapted from Fig. 12.29,
d R Callister 6e.

b
rect. circ.

location of max tension

• Flexural strength: • Typ. values:

Material σfs (MPa) E(GPa)
fail 1.5Fmax L Fmax L
σ fs = σ m = = Si nitride 700-1000 300
bd 2 πR3 Si carbide 550-860 430
F rect. Al oxide 275-550 390
Fmax x glass (soda) 69 69
Data from Table 12.5, Callister 6e.

δ
δmax Chapter 12- 10
 Geometry, load, & material
• Condition for crack propagation:
K ≥ Kc
Stress Intensity Factor: Fracture Toughness:
--Depends on load & --Depends on the material,
geometry. temperature, environment, &
rate of loading.
• Values of K for some standard loads & geometries:
σ σ
units of K :
MPa m
2a a
2a or ksi in
Adapted from Fig. 8.8,
Callister 6e.

K = σ πa K = 1.1σ πa
Chapter 12- 10
 Fracture toughness of ceramics
Graphite/
Metals/ Composites/
Ceramics/ Polymers
Alloys fibers
K cmetals
Semicond
100
C-C(|| fibers) 1

increasing
70 Steels comp
60 Ti alloys Kc
50
40
poly
30
Al alloys
Mg alloys
K ccer ≈ K c
K Ic (MPa · m 0.5 )

20
Al/Al oxide(sf) 2
Y2 O 3 /ZrO 2 (p) 4
10 C/C( fibers) 1 σ 2π a > KIC
Al oxid/SiC(w) 3
Diamond Si nitr/SiC(w) 5
7
6
Fracture strength of ceramics
Al oxid/ZrO 2 (p) 4
Si carbide Glass/SiC(w) 6
5 Al oxide
Si nitride
PET lower than predicted because of
4
PP the presence of small and
3 PVC
omnipresent flaws which are
2 PC stress raisers (pores,
microcracks, etc.)
1 <100>
Si crystal PS Glass 6
<111>
0.7 Glass -soda
0.6 Polyester
Concrete Chapter 12- 11
0.5
 Fracture of ceramic materials
Compressive strength σfc (more
complex) is higher because no stress
concentration exists. Also caused by
flaws; but by linking of cracks parallel to
stress axis – depends on average crack
size, aave
K Ic
σ fc =Z
πaave
K Ic The larger the
σ ft = Y specimen, the
πacrit weaker it is
Considerable scatter exists in
value of fracture strength σft. It
depends on probability of
existence of a crack with
favorable orientation
(unstable) Chapter 12-
 Silicate glasses

Basic SiO44- tetrahedron

Cristoballite, (crystalline SiO2)

Na+
Non-bridging oxygen
Glass - an inorganic atoms
product of fusion that
has cooled to a rigid NaO, CaO are network
condition without modifiers
crystallization Sodium-silicate glass
Chapter 12-
 Glass properties
• Specific volume (1/ρ) vs Temperature (T):
Specific volume
• Crystalline materials:
Liquid --crystallize at melting temp, Tm
Supercooled (disordered)
Liquid --have abrupt change in spec.
vol. at Tm
Glass
(amorphous solid)
Crystalline
• Glasses:
(i.e., ordered) solid --do not crystallize
Tg Tm T --spec. vol. varies smoothly with T
Adapted from Fig. 13.5, Callister, 6e.
--Glass transition temp, Tg

• Viscosity: τ
--relates shear stress & dv dy dv
τ=η glass dv
velocity gradient: dy dy
--has units of (Pa-s) τ velocity gradient

Chapter 12- 9
 Glass transition temperature, Tg
Tg, temperature below
which disordered
Liquid structure of liquid is
“frozen” in place giving
rise to a supercooled
liquid
Specific volume

Supercooled liquid
Crystallization Tg is a measure of the
Glass
rigidity of the glass
network
• Network modifiers
Crystalline solid decrease Tg
• Network formers
increase Tg
Tg Tm
Temperature
Chapter 12-
 Glass viscosity vs T and impurities
• Viscosity decreases with T
• Impurities lower Tdeform
fus sil
96 yre e
so ss

ed ica
gla

% x
da
P

sil
-lim
Viscosity [Pa ⋅ s]

ica

10 14
annealing range
10 10

10 6 T deform : soft enough

to deform or “work”
10 2
1
200 600 1000 1400 1800 T(°C)

Chapter 12- 10
 Features of a slip
Shear
• Clay is inexpensive
• Adding water to clay
--allows material to shear easily charge
along weak van der Waals bonds neutral
--enables extrusion
--enables slip casting

weak van
der Waals
• Structure of bonding
4+
Kaolinite Clay: charge Si
3+
Adapted from Fig. 12.14, Callister 6e. neutral Al
-
(Fig. 12.14 is adapted from W.E. Hauth,
"Crystal Chemistry of Ceramics", American
OH
2-
Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 30 (4), 1951, O
p. 140.)

Shear Chapter 12- 13

 Glass-Ceramics
Melting and forming
•LiO2-SiO2 system (30%
Growth LiO2 typical)
Temperature

• Enhanced toughness
Nucleation • Reduced thermal
expansion coefficient

Time
- Quartz, feldspar, dolomite, mixed with nucleating agents
(TiO2, ZrO2)
- Formed using glass forming techniques
- Ceraming – heated to temp high enough to form nuclei of
crystals 1mm in size - Devitrification
- T raised for Growth
Chapter 12-
Improving the strength of ceramics and
Glasses
Grain size reduction of ceramics
Cracks may be stopped by grain boundaries
Make crack path tortuous with whiskers and fibers in ceramics
Induce phase transformation (zirconia-containing ceramics)
Phase transformation with volume change introduces compressive
stresses ahead of advancing crack

Crystallization of glasses
presence of small crystals limit the size of flaws
Close surface defects of ceramics and glasses
• Use in compression
• Implant large atoms in the surface
• Tempering of glass or sandwich glass (Corelle)

- +
stress
• Flame polishing to remelt the surface and heals cracksChapter 12-
 Toughened ceramics
Original metastable
zirconia particle
(tetragonal structure)

Crack

Compressive stress field

around crack tip

Martensite trasnformation
in zirconia particle
(monoclinic structure)

Example of Partially Stabilized (PSZ) ceramics

Chapter 12-
 SUMMARY

• Room T mechanical response is elastic, but fracture

brittle, with negligible ductility

• Great susceptibility to flaws. Some may be toughened in

many ways, including by grain size reduction, martensitic
transformation

• Glass have non-crystalline structure, and are very

susceptible to cracking. However, they may be
toughened with appropriate thermal treatments

Chapter 12- 12
 ANNOUNCEMENTS
Reading:

Core Problems:

Self-help Problems:

Chapter 12- 0