CHAPTER 13: APPLICATIONS AND

TAXONOMY OF CERAMICS
PROCESSING OF CERAMICS
Glasses Clay Refractories Abrasives Cements Advanced
products ceramics
ISSUES TO ADDRESS...
-optical -whiteware -bricks for -sandpaper -composites engine
• How do we classify ceramics? -composite -bricks high T -cutting -structural -rotors
reinforce (furnaces) -polishing -valves
-containers/ -bearings
• What are some applications of ceramics? -household
Adapted from Fig. 13.1 and discussion in
Section 13.2-6, Callister 6e.
-sensors
• How is processing different than for metals? • Properties:
--Tmelt for glass is moderate, but large for other ceramics.
--Small toughness, ductility; large moduli & creep resist.
• Applications:
--High T, wear resistant, novel uses from charge neutrality.
• Fabrication
--some glasses can be easily formed
--other ceramics can not be formed or cast.
1 2

APPLICATION: REFRACTORIES APPLICATION: DIE BLANKS

• Need a material to use in high temperature furnaces.
• Consider Silica (SiO2) - Alumina (Al2O3) system. • Die blanks: die Ad
• Phase diagram shows: --Need wear resistant properties! Ao tensile
mullite, alumina, and crystobalite (made up of SiO2) force
die Adapted from Fig.
tetrahedra as candidate refractories. 11.7, Callister 6e.
Courtesy Martin Deakins, GE
Superabrasives, Worthington,
2200 3Al 2 O 3 -2SiO 2 OH. Used with permission.

T(°C)
mullite
20 00 Liquid
(L) alumina + L • Die surface:
Adapted from Fig. 12.27,
Callister 6e. (Fig. 12.27
--4 µm polycrystalline diamond
1800 is adapted from F.J. Klug particles that are sintered on to a
crystobalite mullite alumina and R.H. Doremus,
+L + "Alumina Silica Phase cemented tungsten carbide
+L Courtesy Martin Deakins, GE
1600 mullite
Diagram in the Mullite
Region", J. American
substrate. Superabrasives, Worthington,
mullite OH. Used with permission.
Ceramic Society 70(10), --polycrystalline diamond helps control
+ crystobalite p. 758, 1987.)
1400 fracture and gives uniform hardness
0 20 40 60 80 100 in all directions.
Composition (wt% alumina)
3 4

APPLICATION: CUTTING TOOLS APPLICATION: SENSORS

• Ex: Oxygen sensor: ZrO2
• Principle: Make diffusion of ions Ca 2+
• Tools:
--for grinding glass, tungsten, fast for rapid response.
carbide, ceramics • Approach:
--for cutting Si wafers Add Ca impurity to: A Ca 2+ impurity
--for oil drilling --increase O2- vacancies removes a Zr 4+ and a
O 2- ion.
--increase O2- diffusion
• Solutions: oil drill bits blades
--manufactured single crystal • Operation: sensor
or polycrystalline diamonds coated single --voltage difference gas with an
crystal diamonds reference
in a metal or resin matrix. produced when unknown, higher gas at fixed
O 2-
--optional coatings (e.g., Ti to help O2- ions diffuse oxygen content
diffus
oxygen content
diamonds bond to a Co matrix polycrystalline between external ion
diamonds in a resin and references
via alloying)
matrix.
--polycrystalline diamonds gases. + -
Photos courtesy Martin Deakins, voltage difference produced!
resharpen by microfracturing GE Superabrasives, Worthington,
OH. Used with permission.
along crystalline planes.
5 6

1
 CERAMIC FABRICATION METHODS-I GLASS STRUCTURE
• Basic Unit: • Glass is amorphous
GLASS PARTICULATE CEMENTATION 4- • Amorphous structure
Si0 4 tetrahedron occurs by adding impurities
FORMING FORMING
Si 4+ (Na+,Mg2+,Ca2+, Al3+)
• Pressing: • Fiber drawing: O 2-
• Impurities:
Gob
Pressing interfere with formation of
operation
crystalline structure.
Parison
mold • Quartz is crystalline Na +
SiO2:
Compressed Si 4+
• Blowing: air wind up O 2-

suspended
Parison (soda glass)
Finishing Adapted from Fig. 12.11,
Callister, 6e.
mold
Adapted from Fig. 13.7, Callister, 6e. (Fig. 13.7 is adapted from C.J. Phillips,
Glass: The Miracle Maker, Pittman Publishing Ltd., London.) 7 8

GLASS PROPERTIES GLASS VISCOSITY VS T AND IMPURITIES

• Viscosity decreases with T
• Specific volume (1/ρ) vs Temperature (T):
• Impurities lower Tdeform
Specific volume
• Crystalline materials:
fus sil
--crystallize at melting temp, Tm
96 Pyre e
Liquid
so ss

ed ica
Supercooled
gla

% x
(disordered)
da

--have abrupt change in spec.

sil
Liquid
-li

vol. at Tm ica
⋅ s]
m

Glass
(amorphous solid) 10 14
• Glasses: annealing range
Crystalline
Viscosity [Pa

(i.e., ordered) solid --do not crystallize 10 10

Tg Tm T --spec. vol. varies smoothly with T
Adapted from Fig. 13.5, Callister, 6e.
--Glass transition temp, Tg
10 6 T deform : soft enough
• Viscosity: τ to deform or “work”
--relates shear stress & dv dy dv 10 2
τ=η glass dv
Adapted from Fig. 13.6, Callister, 6e.
velocity gradient: dy dy 1 (Fig. 13.6 is from E.B. Shand, Engineering
Glass, Modern Materials, Vol. 6, Academic
--has units of (Pa-s) τ velocity gradient 200 600 10 00 1400 1800 T(°C) Press, New York, 1968, p. 262.)

9 10

HEAT TREATING GLASS CERAMIC FABRICATION METHODS-IIA

• Annealing:
--removes internal stress caused by uneven cooling. GLASS PARTICULATE CEMENTATION
• Tempering: FORMING FORMING
--puts surface of glass part into compression
• Milling and screening: desired particle size
--suppresses growth of cracks from surface scratches.
--sequence: • Mixing particles & water: produces a "slip"
• Form a "green" component Ao
container
before cooling surface cooling further cooled die holder
cooler compression --Hydroplastic forming: force
ram billet extrusion Ad
Adapted from
Fig. 11.7,
hot hot tension extrude the slip (e.g., into a pipe) Callister 6e.
container die
cooler compression --Slip casting:
pour slip absorb water
pour slip drain
--Result: surface crack growth is suppressed. into mold into mold
“green into mold mold
“green Adapted from Fig.
13.10, Callister 6e.
ceramic”
ceramic” (Fig. 13.10 is from
W.D. Kingery,
Introduction to
Ceramics, John
Wiley and Sons,
Inc., 1960.)
solid component hollow component

• Dry and Fire the component

11 12

2
 FEATURES OF A SLIP DRYING AND FIRING
Shear • Drying: layer size and spacing decrease.
• Clay is inexpensive Adapted from Fig.
13.11, Callister 6e.

• Adding water to clay (Fig. 13.11 is from

W.D. Kingery,
--allows material to shear easily charge Introduction to
Ceramics, John
along weak van der Waals bonds neutral Wiley and Sons,
Inc., 1960.)
--enables extrusion
--enables slip casting wet slip partially dry “green ” ceramic
• Firing:
weak van --T raised to (900-1400 C)
der Waals --vitrification: glass forms from clay and flows between
bonding SiO2 particles.
• Structure of Adapted from Fig. 13.12,
4+ Si0 2 particle
Kaolinite Clay: charge Si (quartz)
Callister 6e.
(Fig. 13.12 is courtesy H.G.
3+ Brinkies, Swinburne
Adapted from Fig. 12.14, Callister 6e. neutral Al micrograph of glass formed University of Technology,
- porcelain
(Fig. 12.14 is adapted from W.E. Hauth,
"Crystal Chemistry of Ceramics", American
OH around Hawthorn Campus,
Hawthorn, Victoria,
2- the particle
Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 30 (4), 1951, O Australia.)
p. 140.)

Shear 13 70 µm 14

CERAMIC FABRICATION METHODS-IIB CERAMIC FABRICATION METHODS-III

GLASS PARTICULATE CEMENTATION GLASS PARTICULATE CEMENTATION

FORMING FORMING FORMING FORMING
• Sintering: useful for both clay and non-clay compositions. • Produced in extremely large quantities.
• Procedure: • Portland cement:
--grind to produce ceramic and/or glass particles --mix clay and lime bearing materials
--inject into mold --calcinate (heat to 1400C)
--press at elevated T to reduce pore size. --primary constituents:
• Aluminum oxide powder: tri-calcium silicate
--sintered at 1700C di-calcium silicate
for 6 minutes. • Adding water
Adapted from Fig. 13.15, Callister 6e.
(Fig. 13.15 is from W.D. Kingery, H.K.
--produces a paste which hardens
Bowen, and D.R. Uhlmann, Introduction --hardening occurs due to hydration (chemical reactions
to Ceramics, 2nd ed., John Wiley and
Sons, Inc., 1976, p. 483.) with the water).
• Forming: done usually minutes after hydration begins.
15 µm
15 16

SUMMARY
• Basic categories of ceramics:
--glasses
--clay products
--refractories
--cements
--advanced ceramics
• Fabrication Techniques:
--glass forming (impurities affect forming temp).
--particulate forming (needed if ductility is limited)
--cementation (large volume, room T process)
• Heat treating: Used to
--alleviate residual stress from cooling,
--produce fracture resistant components by putting
surface into compression.

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