Lecture:52

Unit-7

Ceramics
Introduction
The term Ceramics is from the Greek word "Keramas" which means 'burnt material'.
In early days ceramic materials are made from burning clay materials, which are made
of inorganic silicates, metallic oxides and their combinations. Nowadays the definition
of ceramics is so broadened that we can say ceramics are any inorganic compounds
made up of metals and non-metals bonded by strong attractive forces such as ionic or .
covalent bonds and are produced by burning at elevated temperatures. These ceramic
materials .have high wear resistance and can withstand high temperatures. Engineering
ceramics are oxides, nitrides, carbides, borides, silicates of some specific metals such
as aluminium, titanium, zirconium etc. Ceramic materials include sand, glass,
refractories, abrasives, clay products, cement, insulators, engineering synthetic
ceramic/,
etc.

Classification
The clay product ceramics can be classified broadly as,
l. The structural clay products
2. The white wares
3. Earthen wares, stone wares and chemical stone wares
4. Porcelain and enamels
Before dealing with these materials let us study about clay and its properties.
Clay
Clay denotes certain earth, which are highly plastic under wet conditions and can be
converted into a hard mass under red-hot-condition. Clays are formed by the
decomposition of certain kinds of rocks (igneous, felspathic) under various conditions for
a long time period. (Its essential constituents are hydrated aluminium silicates
Al20 3.2SiO2.2H2 O together with other substances such as metallic oxides, quartz, mica.
Iron oxide etc.
Clays remaining at the place of their origin are pure and are called "primary clay" or
Kaolin (China clay). These clays contain very low iron oxide impurity and after burning
forms white ceramics. If the "primary clay" is transported by various agencies (wind,
water etc.) to different locations, then these clays loose their purity and are known as
"Secondary clays". Besides Kaolin, they contain lime stone, mud, silica, hydrated
inorganic oxides, etc.

Silica
Silica is present in the surface of earth's crust most abundantly. Qartz is the most
common form of silica. Opal, flint, agate, jasper etc. are other forms of it. Some of the
crystalline silica forms besides quartz are vitreous silica, .crystabalite, tridymite,
diatomite etc.
During burning or sintering process the a - β inversion of quartz at 573° C can produce
cracking due to the sudden volume change at this temperature.

Feldspars
These are the main constituents of igneous rocks and widespread on earth's crust.
Feldspars are generally found to be contaminated with other earths.There are mainly
three kinds of Feldspars:
1) Potash Feldspar: K 20.Al 20 3.6Si02
2) Sodium Feldspar: Na2 0.Al203.6Si02
3) Lime Feldspar: CaO. Al203.2Si02
The application of Feldspars in ceramic clay products is comparatively less when
compared with clay and silica. Feldspars are used in white wares. .

Properties
1.Clay sufficiently well pulverized and wet becomes plastic and moldable and on firing,
the molded clay articles become first rigid and later vitreous. The amount of water
required to make clay plastic depends on the size and shape of clay particles and their
surface characteristics. The plastic limit is defined as the minimum water content below
which it ceases to behave as plastic material. As the proportion of water increases, the
clay becomes more and more plastic and beyond a certain limit it loses plasticity. This
limit of losing plasticity due to excess of water is known as liquid-limit. The difference in
the water content between the liquid limit and plastic limit is called the Plasticity index.
2.Aging can increase the plasticity of clay. This is done by storing the clay under damp
(moist) weather conditions. The stability of clay in moist condition is mainly due to
hydration accompanied by gelation and bacterial activity.
3.The impurities present in the clay can influence its properties to some extend. Presence
of iron oxide in clay produces a red color to the burnt product of clay. Presence of silica
increases its refractory nature and porosity. Presence of CaO, MgO. Fe203 act as flux and
lower the fusion point of burnt clay products. Lime reduces the vitrification range of clay.

Fabrication Methods:

i) Molding:
1. Soft mud process: One of the oldest methods of molding clay articles by using Potter's
wheel. This method is still in use for art pottery. Jiggering is the most common soft mud
process used in white ware manufacture to form cups, plates and high voltage insulators.

2. Dry Pressing: In this method, the ceramic ware is molded under pressure reducing the
moisture content to 5-15%. Hydraulic or automatic pressing is made use of floor tiles,
refractories, and electrical insulators etc. that are produced by this method.
3. Hot Pressing: In this process the die and the plunger is usually made of graphite
Electrical heating is done below the melting point of powdered clay particles and
pressing is done simultaneously. This method is generally used for making dense pieces
of refractory oxides and carbides.
4. Slip casting: In this process a slip is made of clay material in excess water and is
poured into a porous mould made of plaster of Paris. The mould sucks up the excess
water from the contact area of the slip. Thus a dry area is produced inside the mould. This
process is repeated until the entire inner part of the mould is packed with dry clay and the
molding can be done effectively. In slip casting, certain blending agents such as finely
ground quartz, deflocculants such as Na2C03, Na3P04, and Na2Si03 etc. are mixed along
with the slip. By slip casting white wares, chemical wares and porcelain materials are
produced.

ii) Drying

The molded ceramic wares before firing should undergo natural drying process. Artificial
drying methods such as slight heating or aeration can be used but the drying rate should
be controlled. Excess drying produces excess shrinkage of the molded material, which
leads to crack formation. Reducing the particle size of clay as well as its initial water
content can reduce shrinkage and cracking.

iii) Firing
The dried ceramic wares are fired at temperature range from 700-2000° C to produce the
burnt vitreous products. Unglazed ceramic wares are fired only once whereas the glazed
ceramic wares are fired twice i.e. first biscuit firing and after applying glazes on the
surface and fired for the second time. This is known as glost firing. But in recent times
glazed ceramic wares are subjected to firing only once since the glaze will be applied on
the unfired moulded articles in the beginning itself. Glazing is a process of firing ceramic
ware by applying glaze materials on the surface of vitreous clay materials to get a glossy
appearance.