Ceramic Uses and Processes

R. R. Lindeke
Engr 2110
 Taxonomy of Ceramics
Glasses Clay Refractories Abrasives Cements Advanced
products ceramics
-optical -whiteware -bricks for -sandpaper -composites engine
-composite -bricks high T -cutting -structural -rotors
reinforce (furnaces) -polishing -valves
-containers/ Adapted from Fig. 13.1 and discussion in
-bearings
household Section 13.2-6, Callister 7e.
-sensors
Properties:
-- Tm 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.
 Application: Refractories
Need a material to use in high temperature furnaces.
Consider the Silica (SiO2) - Alumina (Al2O3) system.
Phase diagram shows:
mullite, alumina, and crystobalite as candidate refractories.

2200 3Al2O3-2SiO2
T(C)
mullite
2000 Liquid
(L) alumina + L
Adapted from Fig. 12.27,
Callister 7e. (Fig. 12.27
1800 mullite is adapted from F.J. Klug
crystobalite alumina and R.H. Doremus,
+L +L + "Alumina Silica Phase
Diagram in the Mullite
1600 mullite Region", J. American
mullite Ceramic Society 70(10),
+ crystobalite p. 758, 1987.)
1400
0 20 40 60 80 100
Composition (wt% alumina)
 Application: Die Blanks
Die blanks: die Ad
-- Need wear resistant properties! Ao tensile
force
die Adapted from Fig. 11.8 (d),
Courtesy Martin Deakins, GE Callister 7e.
Superabrasives, Worthington,
OH. Used with permission.

Die surface:
-- 4 mm polycrystalline diamond
particles that are sintered onto a
cemented tungsten carbide Courtesy Martin Deakins, GE
substrate. Superabrasives, Worthington,
OH. Used with permission.
-- polycrystalline diamond helps control
fracture and gives uniform hardness
in all directions.
 Application: Cutting Tools
Tools:
-- for grinding glass, tungsten,
carbide, ceramics
-- for cutting Si wafers
-- for oil drilling

Solutions: oil drill bits blades

-- manufactured single crystal
or polycrystalline diamonds coated single
crystal diamonds
in a metal or resin matrix.
-- optional coatings (e.g., Ti to help
diamonds bond to a Co matrix polycrystalline
diamonds in a resin
via alloying)
matrix.
-- polycrystalline diamonds
Photos courtesy Martin Deakins,
resharpen by microfracturing GE Superabrasives, Worthington,
OH. Used with permission.
along crystalline planes.
 Application: Sensors
Example: Oxygen sensor ZrO2
Principle: Make diffusion of ions Ca 2+
fast for rapid response.
Approach:
Add Ca impurity to ZrO2: A Ca 2+ impurity
-- increases O2- vacancies removes a Zr 4+ and a
-- increases O2- diffusion rate O2- ion.

Operation:
sensor
-- voltage difference
gas with an reference
produced when unknown, higher gas at fixed
O2- ions diffuse oxygen content O2-
oxygen content
diffusion
from the external
surface of the sensor
to the reference gas. -
+
voltage difference produced!
 Alternative Energy Titania Nano-Tubes
"This is an amazing material architecture for
water photolysis," says Craig Grimes, professor
of electrical engineering and materials science
and engineering. Referring to some recent finds
of his research group (G. K. Mor, K. Shankar,
M. Paulose, O. K. Varghese, C. A. Grimes,
Enhanced Photocleavage of Water Using Titania
Nanotube-Arrays, Nano Letters, vol. 5, pp. 191-
195.2005 ), "Basically we are talking about
taking sunlight and putting water on top of this
material, and the sunlight turns the water into
hydrogen and oxygen. With the highly-ordered
titanium nanotube arrays, under UV
illumination you have a photoconversion
efficiency of 13.1%. Which means, in a nutshell,
you get a lot of hydrogen out of the system per
photon you put in. If we could successfully shift
its bandgap into the visible spectrum we would
have a commercially practical means of
generating hydrogen by solar energy.
 Ceramic Fabrication Methods-I
GLASS PARTICULATE CEMENTATION
FORMING FORMING
Pressing: plates, dishes, cheap glasses
Pressing
Gob --mold is steel with
operation
graphite lining
Parison
mold Fiber drawing:
Compressed
Blowing: air

suspended
Parison

Finishing wind up
mold
Adapted from Fig. 13.8, Callister, 7e. (Fig. 13.8 is adapted from C.J. Phillips,
Glass: The Miracle Maker, Pittman Publishing Ltd., London.)
 Sheet Glass Forming
Sheet forming continuous draw
originally sheet glass was made by floating
glass on a pool of mercury or tin

Adapted from Fig. 13.9, Callister 7e.

Modern Plate/Sheet Glass making:

Image from Prof. JS Colton, Ga. Institute of Technology

 Heat Treating Glass
Annealing:
--removes internal stress caused by uneven cooling.
Tempering:
--puts surface of glass part into compression
--suppresses growth of cracks from surface scratches.
--sequence:
before cooling surface cooling further cooled
cooler compression
hot hot tension
cooler compression

--Result: surface crack growth is suppressed.

 Ceramic Fabrication Methods-IIA
GLASS PARTICULATE CEMENTATION
FORMING FORMING
Milling and screening: desired particle size
Mixing particles & water: produces a "slip"
Form a "green" component Ao container
--Hydroplastic forming: die holder Adapted from
force bille extrusion Fig. 11.8 (c),
extrude the slip (e.g., into a pipe) ram Ad Callister 7e.
t
container die
--Slip casting:
pour slip absorb water pour slip drain green
into mold into mold into mold mold ceramic Adapted from Fig.
green 13.12, Callister 7e.
ceramic (Fig. 13.12 is from
W.D. Kingery,
Introduction to
Ceramics, John
Wiley and Sons,
Inc., 1960.)
solid component hollow component
Dry and fire the component
 Clay Composition
A mixture of components used

(50%) 1. Clay
(25%) 2. Filler e.g. quartz (finely ground)
(25%) 3. Fluxing agent (Feldspar)
binds it together

aluminosilicates + K+, Na+, Ca+

 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 7e. 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
 Drying and Firing
Drying: layer size and spacing decrease. Adapted from Fig.
13.13, Callister 7e.
(Fig. 13.13 is from
W.D. Kingery,
Introduction to
Ceramics, John
Wiley and Sons,
Inc., 1960.)

wet slip partially dry green ceramic

Drying too fast causes sample to warp or crack due to non-uniform shrinkage
Firing:
--T raised to (900-1400C)
--vitrification: liquid glass forms from clay and flows between
SiO2 particles. Flux melts at lower T.
Adapted from Fig. 13.14,
Si02 particle Callister 7e.
(quartz) (Fig. 13.14 is courtesy H.G.
Brinkies, Swinburne
micrograph of glass formed University of Technology,
porcelain around Hawthorn Campus,
the particle Hawthorn, Victoria,
Australia.)

70mm
 Ceramic Fabrication Methods-IIB
GLASS PARTICULATE CEMENTATION
FORMING FORMING
Sintering: useful for both clay and non-clay compositions.
Procedure:
-- produce ceramic and/or glass particles by grinding
-- place particles in mold
-- press at elevated T to reduce pore size.
Aluminum oxide powder:
-- sintered at 1700C
for 6 minutes.
Adapted from Fig. 13.17, Callister 7e.
(Fig. 13.17 is from W.D. Kingery, H.K.
Bowen, and D.R. Uhlmann, Introduction
to Ceramics, 2nd ed., John Wiley and
Sons, Inc., 1976, p. 483.)

15 mm
 Powder Pressing
Sintering - powder touches - forms neck &
gradually neck thickens
add processing aids to help form neck
little or no plastic deformation
Uniaxial compression - compacted in single direction
Isostatic (hydrostatic) compression - pressure applied by
fluid - powder in rubber envelope

Hot pressing - pressure + heat Adapted from Fig. 13.16, Callister 7e.
 Tape Casting
thin sheets of green ceramic cast as flexible tape
used for integrated circuits and capacitors
cast from liquid slip (ceramic + organic solvent)

Adapted from Fig. 13.18, Callister 7e.

 Ceramic Fabrication Methods-III
GLASS PARTICULATE CEMENTATION
FORMING FORMING
Produced in extremely large quantities.
Portland cement:
-- mix clay and lime bearing materials
-- calcinate (heat to 1400C)
-- primary constituents:
tri-calcium silicate
di-calcium silicate
Adding water
-- produces a paste which hardens
-- hardening occurs due to hydration (chemical reactions
with the water).
Forming: done usually minutes after hydration begins.
 Applications: Advanced Ceramics

Heat Engines Disadvantages:

Brittle
Advantages: Too easy to have voids-
Run at higher temperature weaken the engine
Excellent wear & Difficult to machine
corrosion resistance
Low frictional losses
Ability to operate without
a cooling system
Low density
Possible parts engine block, piston coatings, jet engines
Ex: Si3N4, SiC, & ZrO2
 Applications: Advanced Ceramics

Ceramic Armor
Al2O3, B4C, SiC & TiB2
Extremely hard materials
shatter the incoming projectile
energy absorbent material underneath
 Applications: Advanced Ceramics
Electronic Packaging
Chosen to securely hold microelectronics &
provide heat transfer
Must match the thermal expansion coefficient of
the microelectronic chip & the electronic
packaging material. Additional requirements
include:
good heat transfer coefficient
poor electrical conductivity

Materials currently used include:

Boron nitride (BN)
Silicon Carbide (SiC)
Aluminum nitride (AlN)
thermal conductivity 10x that for Alumina
good expansion match with Si