PRACTICAL ENGLISH IN CERAMICS

• Ceramika ---- Ceramics

• Ceramika specjalna – Special ceramics
• Ceramika ogniotrwała – Refractory materials
• Szkło - Glass
• Szkliwa i emalie - Glazes and enamels
• Szkło-ceramika - Glass - ceramics
• Materiały wiążące - Binding materials
• Cienkie warstwy - Coatings
• Biomateriały - Biomaterials
Programm:
Non-metalic inorganic materials

1. Characteristic of ceramic materials

– Sintered (classic ceramics)
– Melted (glasses and glazes)
– Binding (lime, gypsum, cement, mortars binding )
2. Sintered ceramics – classic and advanced
3. Glasses and glass-ceramics
4. Special glasses and method of their production
(sol/gel method)
5. Bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics materials
6. Amorphous coatings on glassy base
7. Binding materials
CREDIT CONDITIONS OF COURSE

• Presence in lectures
• Preparation of the seminar paper

References to the subject:

• Draft of lectures
• „Applied Ceramic Technology” vol. I and II;
SACMI
 My motto

• Not the most important presence

at lectures!!!!
• Most important is - something to
understand, learn, remember !!!
What does „ceramics”
mean?????
Ceramics derives from Greek word
Keramos; this is the product formed
by the action of fire (sintering)

Now (unambiguous definition :

Non-metalic, inorganic products
obtained by the transformation of
mineral or chemical raw materials
during high-temperature process
How can we divide ceramics?

•SINTERED PRODUCTS
(classic ceramics)

•MELTED PRODUCTS
(glasses)
•BINDING MATERIALS (lime,
gypsum, cement)
 SINTERED MATERIALS

Examples:
• Porcelain tableware
• Building ceramics – brick, slate,
various tiles: floor and wall
• Sanitary ware
• Advanced ceramics
 SINTERED MATERIALS
Kind of tiles:
Floor and wall
Wall tiles: double and single fired;
• Classification on the base of forming
method
• Technical features: porosity between 13-
18%
• Glazes are usually used
Floor tiles:
• Vitrified single fired tiles („gres”)-compact
mass
• Porcelain tiles, usually glazed
MELTED MATERIALS (GLASSES)

• Soda-lima-silica glasses (building,

automotive, packaging, tableware)
• Optical glasses
• Technical glasses
• Crystal glasses
• Bio-glasses
 BINDING MATERIALS

• Lime (CaO from CaCO3))

• Gypsum (CaSO4)
• Cement (cement clinker + gypsum +
mineral additions –ashes)
 Basic differences between particular
groups of materials

• These differences concern:

- production process
-structure, microstructure and
material properties
-application
DIFFERENCES - PROCESS

SINTERED MATERIALS
Raw materials preparation

Preparation of ceramic body

Formation ceramic body

Drying and sintering

 SINTERED CERAMICS

Raw materials:
• Plastic: clay minerals - kaolinite
Al4[Si4O10](OH)8 , illite Al2(Si5O10)(OH)2
montmorillonite;
• Non-plastic: silica SiO2 (to do smaller
body contraction) , feldspars X4(Al4Si4O16)
X – K, Na (fluxing agents)
Kaolinite structure

• Basic element of kaolinite:

• - silica-oxygen sheet („tetrahedral sheet”)
• - alumina-oxygen-hydroxyl sheet
(„octahedral sheet”)
------------------------------------------------------------
• L.K. Si = 4___________________________
[SiO2O5 ]-2
• ___________________________ H2O
• L.K. Al = 6___________________________
[AlO6]-9
Kaolinite spatial structure
 DIFFERENCES - PROCESS

MELTED PRODUCTS (GLASSES)

Raw materias preparation

Melting

Forming from the melt

Vitrification
 GLASSES

Raw materials:
• Glass-forming compounds (high
viscosity at melting temperature): SiO2;
B2O3, P2O5;
• Fluxing agents: carbonates of alkaline
element – Na2CO3; K2CO3; Li2CO3
• Modifieres – PbO, BaO, ZnO
 BINDING MATERIALS

Materials in the form of powders;

Lack of product formation;
 They are able to bind after water
addition
 BINDING MATERIALS

Raw materials:
Limestone, marl, clays  clinker
Clinker compounds: silicates and
aluminates
 DIFFERENCES:
STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES

Ceramics: Poly-crystalline products; can contain

amorphous phase; produced from mineral raw
materials by firing; products are not-translucent or
translucent (porcelain)

Glasses: amorphous products; no long-range ordering

of structure; products are transparent

Binding materials: poly-crystalline products in the form

of powders
 CERAMIC PRODUCT CLASIFICATION

• Criteria:
- Physical features (colour, porous
structure, optical properties)
- Production technology ( method
of formation; double or single
firing; use or not glazes)
- Application
 CERAMIC PRODUCT CLASIFICATION
Physical features

Porosity:
Compact or porous structure (porosity 3-
12%) – dependent on formation method
and firing temperature)
Color:
White or red after firing (dependent on the
content of iron in raw materials)
 Porous products

Coloured (red) White after firing

after firing

brick faience
 refractory Some products
pottery of advanced
ceramics
 NON-POROUS PRODUCTS

Not-translucent: Translucent, white

• Stoneware;
• Semi-vitreous • Porceain

Low-translucent products (yellow)

• Steatite products
• Advanced products for the electronic
 CERAMIC PRODUCT CLASIFICATION
Production technology

Formation:

• castings,
• plastic extrusion
• pressing
PRODUCTION PROCESS

SINTERED MATERIALS
Raw materials preparation

Preparation of ceramic body

Formation from ceramic body

Drying and sintering

 SINTERED CERAMICS

Raw materials:
• Plastic: clay minerals - kaolinite
Al4[Si4O10](OH)8 , illite Al2(Si5O10)(OH)2
montmorillonite;
• Non-plastic: silica SiO2 (to do smaller body
contraction -shrinkage) , feldspars X4(Al4Si4O16)
X – K, Na (fluxing agents)
• Helpful raw materials
 Plastic raw materials
Clays
(illite-chlorite,
illite-kaolinitic types)
Kaolins
Bentonites
Shale rocks

•Mineralogical characterisation:
sedimentary rocks composed of various types of
silicate minerals, mostly hydrarted aluminum
silicates (Al2O3mSiO2nH2O).
 Plastic raw materials
•Basic feature of clays:

PLASTICITY– ability, after introducing of

water, formation of mass, which can be
shaped by various methods, and
obtained shape is preserved during and
after drying and firing
COMPLEMENTARY RAW MATERIAL

Role in production process

- to reduce shrinkage during drying and
firing of plastic raw materials
•Silica raw materials(SiO2):
Quartz, qartzites, quartz sands
•Raw materials of high content of alumina Al2O3
Aluminum raw materials: alumina, aluminum
hydroxides;
aluminum, synthetic materials (corundum);
Aluminum-silicate raw materials: : sillimanite,
mullite
COMPLEMENTARY RAW MATERIAL

Role in production process

Fluxes; decreasing sintering and melting
temperatures!
•Feldspars:
 Potasium feldspar (ortoklaz) K2O Al2O3 SiO2;
 Sodium feldspar (albit) Na2O Al2O3 SiO2;
 Calcium feldspar (anortyt) CaO Al2O3 SiO2

•Carbonates of calcium and magnezium (Ca, Mg):

 Calcium carbonateCaCO3;
 Magnesium carbonate MgCO3;
 Double calcium/magnesium carbonate CaCO3 MgCO3;
 Clays classification
as the raw materials for
ceramics production:

• Content of impurities in the form of iron

compounds (it affects on the product
color after firing
• Content of impurities in the form of
calcium, magnesium, potasium, sodium
compounds playing the role of fluxing
agents (this determines the fire
resistance)
 Examples:

• Kaolin and clays (ball clays, china clays)

– firing in white or cream (low content of
iron compounds) they are used to
porcelain and faience production
• Clays for brick production (marl-
carbonate clay, vitrifiable clay); after
firing they take on beige-orange color
due to present of ferrous minerals;
• Refractory clays (Kaolin-type china-
clays) , low content of fluxing agents
(less than 6%), give a product with a
high fire resistance
Sintered products

• Raw materials preparation

• Preparation of ceramic body

• Shaping of ceramic body (ambient

conditions)

• Drying and sintering (firing) – high-

temperature process
 Raw materials and ceramic body
preparation
Raw materials preparation:
• Enrichment (removal of not-profitable
components)
• Pre-processing - (crushing)
Compilation of ceramic body; Examples:

faience:
clays: medium-plastic 30% porcelain
very plastic 32% Clays – kaolin type 50%
(Ball-clays, china clays)
marble or chalk (CaCO3) 12%
Feldspar 25%
quartz sands 26%
Quartz 25%
Body compilation- wall tiles
 Ceramic body preparation
Removal of water and air from mass
using special filter or vacuum press

Vacuum press
 Ceramic body fate

What is the fate of body ?

content of H2O in %

Casting 25-35
Plastic extrusion 15-25
Plastic pressing 10-14
Dry pressing 3-9
 Shaping of body

Casting in gypsum form

Formation from plastic mass –hand made,
extrusion, formation on press
Pressing
Dry and semi-dry mass
Plastic mass
Thermo-plastic formation
 Casting in gypsum form

Preparation of slip body

- water suspension of ground raw ceramic – low

viscosity, low sedimentation rate, low shrinkage
(addition of fluidization agents : sodium silicates –
„water” glass)
 Casting

Casting of slip body in gypsum form

Body is left in gypsum form up to body

densification (water is removed from body by
gypsum form absorption)
 Plastic body formation

Hand made:
•Various type
of clay body modeling

Turning of ceramics:
The oldest way of formation:
– potter's wheel