UNIT – V

ADVANCED MATERIALS & APPLICATIONS

5.0 Ceramics

Ceramics can be defined as inorganic crystalline materials, which are probably the most naturally occurring
materials such as beach sand and rocks. Ceramics include such everyday materials as brick, cement, glass,
and porcelain. They also include unusual materials used in electronics and spacecraft. Most ceramics are
hard and can withstand heat and chemicals. “It is proved that an entire fire truck could be supported
using 4 ceramic coffee cups”. Advanced ceramics are used in substrates that house computer chips,
sensors, actuators, and spark plugs. Some ceramics are used as barrier coatings to protect metallic substrates
in turbine engines.

In general, due to the presence of porosity, ceramics don’t conduct heat well and must be heated to very
high temperatures. Ceramics are strong and hard but also very brittle

Classification of Ceramics

There are many different ways to classify ceramics. One way is to define ceramics based on their chemical
compounds (eg. Oxides, nitrides, sulphides, fluorides etc.)

Ceramic Materials

Glasses Clay Refractories Abrasives Advanced

Products Ceramics

Cements
General Classification of Ceramics

General Characteristics of Ceramics

Brittleness Good insulator

Rock like appearance High corrosion resistance
Resistance to high temperatures Opaque to light
Harder & stronger Good thermal shock resistance
The following is a detailed summary of certain types of ceramic materials

(i) Silicon Carbide (SiC)

Silicon carbide is a high performance material selectively used throughout diverse industries for severe
applications including conditions of high abrasive wear, high corrosion and high temperatures including
thermal shock. Generically, silicon carbide is known for its hardness (9.1 Mohs or 2500 Knoop),
refractoriness (SiC dissociates at 2815oC), and resistance to corrosion by other materials. Rarely found in
nature, silicon carbide is normally synthesized by heating a mixture of silica sand and coke to approximately
2200oC using a method named for its inventor, Edward Acheson.

(ii) Silicon Nitride Bonded Silicon Carbide - (typically abbreviated; SNBSiC, NBSiC or NBSC)
commonly called nitride bonded silicon carbide. This material is the most commonly used version of silicon
carbide for coal processing applications.

Processing
NBSC material is commonly produced using a mixture of silicon carbide grain and finely divided (typically
<325 mesh) elemental silicon. It can be formed into shapes via slip casting, vibratory casting, or by
pressing. The formed shapes are heated in the furnace in a nitrogen atmosphere at temperatures below the
melting point of silicon (1410oC). Beginning at approximately 1100oC, the nitrogen gas and silicon metal
react forming silicon nitride, or Si3N4. Due to the fact that the bond phase grows within existing porosity,
there is little to no dimensional change upon firing and a net weight gain occurs.

Properties
Nitride bonded silicon carbide material is characterized by excellent wear properties in severe industrial
environments. This material exhibits good resistance to high temperatures even in demanding abrasive
applications. This includes better impact resistance than most silicon carbide grades.

Applications
Due to its unique properties and ability to be cast to final shape, this cost-effective grade is widely used as a
workhorse throughout the coal industry from mining to power plants. Applications include cyclone apexes,
inlet heads, vortexes, centrifuge port liners, power plant burner barrel liners, wear blocks, diffusers,
deflectors, transitions, flue gas desulfurization spray nozzles, and slurry pump components.

(iii) Reaction Bonded Silicon Nitride (RBSN)

Reaction bonded silicon nitride is made by heating a compact of silicon powder in a nitrogen gas
atmosphere. Reaction starts at 1200 C. The nitriding cycle is usually carried out at 1450 C and takes
between 150 and 200 hours. Nitrogen - hydrogen or nitrogen- hydrogen-helium gas mixtures are often used
as they give faster and more easily controlled reaction rates and result in higher strength materials.
Reaction bonded silicon nitride components have lower density than components made by hot pressing
routes due to the difficulty in ensuring complete reaction throughout the volume of the silicon pack. As a
consequence, RBSN components have inferior mechanical properties such as strength and Young’s
modulus.

General Properties of RBSN

Good thermal shock resistance High hot strength

Resistant to wetting by molten metals Mechanical fatigue and creep resistance
High electrical resistivity Oxidation resistance
Low density

Physical and Mechanical Properties of RBSN

Density (g.cm-3) 2.5

Young’s Modulus (GPa) 200
Bend Strength (MPa) 300
Fracture Toughness K 1c (MPa.m 0.5) 2
Thermal Expansion Co-eff., (x10-6)( C) 3.0
Thermal Conductivity (W/m-K) 10
Decomposition Temperature ( C) 1900

Applications of RBSN

Thermocouple Sheaths

Due to silicon nitrides’ good resistance to thermal shock and it resistance to wetting by molten metals, it is
often employed as a material of choice for thermocouple protection sheaths, in particular for non-ferrous
metal applications.

Nozzles

Internally threaded nozzles for inert gas welding and cutting torches are often made from reaction bonded
silicon nitride due to its ability to resist thermal shock and molten metal attack.

Specialized Kiln furniture

Some specialized kiln furniture is made from silicon nitride due to its low thermal mass combined with its
ability to resist thermal shock.
Other Applications

Reaction bonded silicon nitride is also used for fixtures to position and transfer metal parts for processes
such as induction heating and resistance welding, brazing and soldering.

Product Bulk Porosity Modulus of Coefficient of Thermal Conductivity

Density Rupture Thermal Expansion
Percent x10-6/0C W/mK
G/cc MPa
Nitride Bonded 2.4-2.7 16 45-65.5 4.2-4.9 18
SiC (NBSN)
Reaction 2.7-3.1 <1 280-450 4.3-4.6 95-115
Bonded SiC
Composite 2.5-2.6 16 130 4.7 18
Bonded SiC

(iv) SIALONS

Sialon is an acronym that stands for Silicon Aluminium Oxy Nitride

Back Ground of Sialons

Sialons were developed as a more economic alternative to hot pressed silicon nitride. Sialons have a
complex chemistry and should be thought of as a family of alloys with a wide range of properties. They
are formed when silicon nitride (Si3N4), aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and aluminium nitride (AlN) are reacted
together. The materials combine over a wide compositional range. Fully dense polycrystalline bodies can
be formed by pressure less sintering if sintering aids such as yttrium oxide is added to the compact. This
innovation allows near net complex shaped components made at an economic cost. The most commonly
used compositions at present are -SiAlON and ( + ) Sialons, which contain a substantial excess of
sintering aids. However, the field is still changing with compositions developing to suit specific
applications.

Properties of Sialons

Low density
High strength
Superior thermal shock resistance
Moderate wear resistance
Fracture toughness
Mechanical fatigue and creep resistance
Oxidation resistance
Physical & Mechanical Properties of Sialons

Density (g.cm-3) 3.30

Young’s Modulus (GPa) 290
Bend Strength (MPa) 800
Fracture Toughness K1c (MPa.m 0.5) 6.2
Thermal Expansion Coefficient (x 10-6/ C) 3.3
Thermal Conductivity (W/m.K) 18
Maximum Operating Temperature ( C) 1000

Applications of Sialons

Cutting Tools
The hot hardness, fracture toughness and thermal shock resistance of fully dense Sialon makes it
well suited to use in cutting tools. The material is an attractive low cost alternative to hot
pressed silicon nitride for machining grey cast iron for automotive applications. The material
gives both increased metal removal rate and longer tool life compared with conventional cutting
tools.

Sialons have also replaced cemented carbide tools when

machining nickel-based super alloys. These alloys are
used for their heat resistance or in aerospace
applications and are notoriously difficult to machine.
Pressure less sintered Sialon can also increase tool life
by up to 10 times in comparison with silicon nitride
tools when machining these alloys.

Wear Components
Wear components exploit the electrical insulation, low thermal conductivity, and wear and
thermal shock resistance of the material. Representative wear applications are fixtures for
positioning and transferring metal parts during processes such as induction heating or resistance
welding (see figure 1). For example, Sialon has been used to make location pins when resistance
welding automotive components. The conventional hardened steel pin with an alumina sleeve
lasted 8 hours, whilst the Sialon pin lasted one year.
Metal Forming Tools
Sialons have been used in metal wire and tube drawing tools
for non-ferrous metals such as copper and aluminium alloys.
In general the hardness, low coefficient of friction and lack of
adhesion and reaction have given good results. High levels of
copper oxide in copper alloys must be avoided, however as it
attacks the material and tolerance control is lost.

Bearings made up of Sialons

Other Applications
Sialons are also used for other applications such as seals and bearings.

(v) Alumina (Al2O3)

It is used to contain molten metal or in applications where a material must operate at high
temperatures, and also very high strengths is required. Al2O3 is used as low dielectric constant
substrate for electronic packaging that house silicon chips. The classical application of Al 2O3 is
for insulator in spark plugs. Chromium doped alumina is used for making lasers.