Topic 6

Ceramics
CERAMI
• Are most frequently silicates, oxides, nitrides,
CS
and carbides.
• Typically insulative to the passage of electricity
and heat.
• More resistant to high temperatures and harsh
environments than metals and polymers.
• hard but very brittle
 Ceramic
Glasses Abrasives
• optical products • sandpaper
• composite reinforce • cutting
• containers/household • polishing

Clay products Cements

• whiteware • composites
• bricks • structural

Refractories Advanced
• bricks for high 7 (furnaces) • engine rotors, valves, bearings
ceramics
• sensors
 properties of ceramics
• extreme hardness - high wear resistance
• corrosion resistance
• heat resistance - low electrical and thermal
conductivity, low thermal expansion, and poor
thermal shock resistance
• low ductility - very brittle, high elastic modulus
• low toughness - low fracture toughness
• low density
• high strength at elevated temperatures
 classification of ceramics

• oxides - alumina, zirconia

• non-oxides - carbides, borides, nitrides, silicide
• composites - particulate reinforced, combinations of
oxides and non-oxides
alumin
• is an electrical insulator but has a relatively high thermal conductivity for a
a ceramic material.
• aluminum oxide is insoluble in water.
• its hardness makes it suitable for use as an abrasive and as a component in
cutting tools.
• used for its hardness and strength
• many types of sandpaper use aluminum oxide crystals.
• aluminum oxide powder is used in some cd/dvd polishing and scratch-repair
kits.
• both its strength and abrasive characteristics originate from the high hardness
of aluminum oxide.
• health and medical applications include it as a material in hip replacements.
silicon
• grains of silicon carbide can be bonded together by sintering to form very
carbide
hard ceramics that are widely used in applications requiring high endurance,
such as car brakes, car clutches, and ceramic plates in bulletproof vests.
• electronic applications of silicon carbide as leds and detectors in early radios
were first demonstrated around 1907, and today is used in semiconductor
electronics applications that are high-temperature, or high-voltage, or both.
• used for its hardness in abrasive machine processes such as grinding, honing,
water-jet cutting and sandblasting.
• the low thermal expansion coefficient, high hardness, rigidity, and thermal
conductivity makes it a desirable material for astronomical telescopes.
silicon nitride
• potential material for structural applications.
• its disadvantage is its porosity.
• greater thermal shock resistance than many other ceramics.
• lower density than other ceramics.
• lower thermal expansion.
• better toughness than silicon carbide and aluminum oxide.
• high chemical and wear resistance
• high fatigue resistance
partially stabilized
• better fracture toughness than other high performance ceramics.
zirconia
• very hard
• wear resistance is also high
• tensile strength is better than alumina
• good thermal insulator
• thermal expansion is similar to that of steel.
sialon
• are a specialist class of high temperature refractory materials, with high
strength, good thermal shock resistance, and exceptional resistance to
wetting or corrosion by molten non-ferrous metals, compared to other
refractory materials such as alumina.
• produced by first combining a mixture of raw materials including silicon
nitride, alumina, aluminum nitride, silica, and the oxide of a rare earth
element such as yttrium.
• used for cutting tool for machining chill cast iron and as brazing and welding
fixtures and pins, particularly for resistance welding.
• due to sialons excellent chemical stability and corrosion resistance and wear
resistance properties, other applications includes the chemical and process
industries and the oil and gas industries.
 Thank You
For Listening!