Ceramic Materials and Processing

A ceramic-binder blend or a ceramic-water blend is extruded through a press to create shapes, often with internal openings. It's similar to squeezing toothpaste out of a tube.

Mixes a ceramic powder with a plastic binder, then injects it into a mold to create complex shapes. Like how a plastic injection machine creates toys.

Ceramic slurry is poured into a gypsum mold. The mold absorbs moisture, leaving the ceramic body against the mold's walls.

A thin layer of ceramic slip is spread over a moving plastic belt, controlled by a blade. This creates thin ceramic sheets.

Ceramic slip is rolled between rollers, then a layer is cast over a paper tape. The tape is burned off during firing.

A forming process used for clay products, similar to a potter's wheel. Clay is placed in a mold and shaped with a jigger.

A composite material where strong, thin fibers are embedded in a weaker matrix material. The fibers are typically arranged in a specific direction, providing high strength in that direction.

The ability of a material to withstand deformation without breaking. It's related to how much energy is needed to fracture the material.

The property of a material that describes its resistance to stretching or breaking under tension.

Materials with properties that are different in different directions. These materials often have strong, directional fibers.

A material with uniform properties in all directions. It can apply forces and withstand pressure equally in any direction.

Materials that combine two or more different substances to create a new material with enhanced properties.

A material that is neither metallic nor organic, often made from clay or mineral powders, and commonly used in electronics and industrial applications.

Ceramics are used in engine parts, cutting tools, and industrial wear components because of their high heat resistance and hardness.

A type of glass produced by rolling molten glass into a flat sheet. It is commonly used for windows, mirrors, and tabletops.

A type of glass made by rolling molten glass to a specific thickness, then grinding and polishing it for optical flatness. It is often used for automotive glazing, storefront windows, and tracing tables.

Ceramics are used in filters, membranes, catalysts (promoting chemical reactions), and catalyst supports in environmental and chemical processing.

The combination of two or more distinct materials, which can be organic, metallic, or ceramic, to create a material with unique properties.

A type of safety glass made by sandwiching a layer of clear vinyl plastic between two sheets of plate glass. It prevents shattering and is widely used in vehicles and construction.

Composite materials are designed and manufactured, rather than occurring naturally as alloys.

Glass tubing and rods produced by drawing molten glass from a furnace onto a rotating cylindrical mandrel. It is used in gauges, pipes, and insulation.

The components of a composite material maintain their individual identities, even after being combined.

A type of glass created by pressing a measured amount of molten glass into steel or iron molds. This process is similar to forging metal.

The combination of materials in a composite material aims to compensate for weaknesses in one component with strengths in another.

A type of glass produced by blowing molten glass into a mold to create hollow pieces with thinner walls. This method is used for creating bottles, jars, and decorative items.

A technique used to increase the tensile strength of sheet glass by heat treating it. This process makes the glass stronger and more resistant to breakage.

Composite materials exhibit properties that are distinct from the individual materials used to make them.

Composite materials are sought out for their unique combinations of properties, including stiffness, strength, hardness, light weight, conductivity, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature performance.

Adding wire mesh to molten glass during production to create a stronger, safer glass. It prevents the glass from shattering into large pieces.

A type of glass that is heat-treated to increase its strength and resistance to shattering. It is often used in applications where safety is critical.

A type of glass that is designed to be used in vehicles. It is made of laminated glass and is designed to stay intact even if broken.

A shaping process where a shaped tool is forced into rotating material, creating axisymmetric parts with limited dimensional accuracy.

The process of heating a compacted ceramic product to achieve desired strength by removing moisture and binding particles.

A glassy coating applied to ceramic products to make them water-tight and improve their appearance. It's made from inorganic compounds mixed with water into a slurry.

The state of a ceramic product after compacting but before firing. It lacks desired strength.

A matured ceramic product after firing. It is porous and ready for glazing.

A low-temperature firing process to mature the glaze after it is applied to bisque.

The process of applying a glaze to a green compact before firing, resulting in a single firing process.

A type of ceramic ware that encompasses whitewares and stoneware. It includes products like tiles, sanitary ware, and insulators.

Types of ceramic products characterized by their white color and fine-grained structure. They include earthenware, china, and porcelain.

A material added to ceramic mixtures to improve their plasticity and formability, making them easier to shape.

Chemicals added to ceramic suspensions to prevent particles from clumping together, creating a smooth, even mixture.

A process of heating a compacted ceramic product to remove moisture and bind particles together, achieving desired strength.

A glassy coating applied to ceramic products to make them waterproof and enhance their appearance.

A state of a ceramic product after compacting but before firing. It lacks desired strength.

A matured ceramic product after firing. It is porous and ready for glazing.

A lower temperature firing process to mature the glaze after it is applied to bisque.

A type of refractory material that resists attack by acidic substances but is vulnerable to basic environments.

Refractory materials that are used to separate acidic and basic materials because they are resistant to attack by both.

A type of refractory material that is resistant to attack by basic substances but is vulnerable to acidic environments.

A type of ceramic material that is made up of pure metallic oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides, and sulfides.

The most commonly used oxide refractory ceramic, known for its high melting point and its use in various applications like cutting tools, spark plug insulators, and electronic circuits.

A material that has the highest melting point of all substances, commonly used for high-temperature applications due to its resistance.

A type of carbide that is difficult to sinter but is used in high-temperature applications like resistance-heating elements and rocket nozzles due to its high melting point and resistance.

A type of ceramic material known for its extreme hardness, making it suitable for use in hard, abrasive applications such as grinding grits.

A type of nitride known for its high melting point and use in cutting tools and other applications.

A hard material used to wear away a softer material, typically used in operations like scratching, grinding, cutting, rubbing, and polishing.

A ceramic material, often used in cutting tools, crucibles, and jet engine nozzles, that offers improved thermal shock resistance while maintaining high refractoriness.

Ceramics, such as carbides, nitrides, oxides, and cermets, find various applications in cutting tools due to their hardness and wear resistance.

Ceramics are widely used in electrical and electronic industries as insulators, semiconductors, dielectrics, ferroelectrics, and piezoelectric crystals due to their unique electrical properties.

A material with exceptional durability, completely oxidized and resistant to chemical attack, which makes it valuable for pigments.

A new ceramic material, known for its transparency and high-temperature resistance, finding uses in optical applications.

Ceramics generally appear opaque due to the presence of tiny pores that scatter light. However, materials like Yttralox, devoid of pores, exhibit transparency.

Ceramics like SiC are used in resistors and heating elements of furnaces due to their semiconducting properties, allowing them to control and generate heat.

Barium titanate, a ceramic material, is often used in capacitors and transducers due to its piezoelectric properties, which convert mechanical energy into electrical energy or vice versa.

This method involves heating a sheet of glass over a mold, allowing it to soften and conform to the mold's shape.

In this process, molten glass is forced against the walls of a rotating mold using centrifugal force. It then cools and solidifies.

This technique strengthens glass by rapidly cooling it. The rapid cooling sets up tensile stresses on the surface of the glass, making it stronger.

This method strengthens glass by heating it in a bath of molten salts. Larger ions in the salts replace smaller atoms on the surface of the glass, creating compressive stress.

This process relieves residual stresses in glass, similar to annealing metals. It also includes finishing operations like cutting, drilling, grinding, and polishing to refine the glass.

A glass-like coating applied to metal products, providing excellent resistance to corrosion, high temperatures, and abrasion. They are made from refractory compounds and are applied as a slurry.

A type of enamel made from highly durable alkaliborosilicate glass that is fused to metal substrates at high temperatures (above 425°C).

A special glass of friable particles produced by quenching molten glass. It's a key ingredient in porcelain enamel.

A type of ceramic ware that encompasses both whitewares and stoneware. This includes products like tiles, sanitary ware, and insulators.

Types of ceramic products characterized by their white color and fine-grained structure. They include earthenware, china, and porcelain.