Dr.

Fayaz Hussain
 MM-532 Ceramic Engineering

Crystal Structures and Origin of Ceramics, Physical and

Thermal properties of Ceramics, Structure of Ceramics,
Silicate Ceramics, Imperfections in Ceramics, Ceramic
phase Diagrams, Mechanical Properties of Ceramic
Materials. Stress-Strain behaviour, Miscellaneous
Mechanical Considerations, Processing of ceramic Powders,
Powder Characterization and data analysis, Sintering
Thermodynamics and Kinetics, Novel Sintering Techniques,
Characterization of Sintered Products, Study of Transition
Alumina and Transformation Toughening in Ceramics
Development Fabrication and Processing of Carbides and
Nitrides, Characterization of Carbide and Nitride Ceramics.

40 Marks: Sessional & 60 Marks: Final paper

 Ceramic Science and Engineering

When you hear the word ceramics, people usually think of an image
of pottery or space shuttle tiles. What many people dont realize is that
ceramics and ceramic engineering play an important role almost
everywhere you look and sometimes where you cant look.
Besides everyday objects, ceramics are helping computers and other
electronic devices operate, improving peoples health in various ways,
providing global telecommunications, and protecting soldiers during
combat.
In the most simple of terms, ceramics are inorganic, nonmetallic materials.
They are typically crystalline in nature (have an ordered structure) and are
compounds formed between metallic and nonmetallic elements such as
aluminum and oxygen (alumina, Al2O3), calcium and oxygen (CaO), and
silicon and nitrogen (silicon nitride, Si3N4). In broader terms, ceramics also
include glass (which has a non-crystalline or amorphous random structure),
enamel (a type of glassy coating), glass-ceramics (a glass containing
ceramic crystals), and inorganic cement-type materials (cement, plaster and
lime). However, as ceramic technology has developed over time, the
definition has expanded to include a much wider range of other compositions
used in a variety of applications.

The word ceramic is traced back to the Greek term keramos, meaning
potters clay or pottery. Keramos, in turn, is related to an older Sanskrit root,
meaning to burn. Ceramus or Keramos was also an ancient city on the
north coast of the Aegean Sea in what is present-day Turkey.
Areas of Specialization or Branches of Ceramics
There are two major categories of glasses and ceramics: traditional
and advanced
Boiler Tube Ferrules

Structural Clay
Products Brick, sewer pipe, roofing tile, clay floor and wall tile

whitewares Dinnerware, floor and wall tile, electrical porcelain, decorative ceramics

Refractories Brick and monolithic products used in iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, glass,
cements, ceramics, energy conversion, petroleum, and chemicals industries, kiln
furniture
Glasses Flat glass (windows), container glass (bottles), pressed and blown glass (dinnerware),
glass fibers (home insulation)

Cements Concrete roads, bridges, buildings, dams, sidewalks, bricks/blocks

Abrasives Natural and Synthetic abrasives

Automotive cam rollers, fuel pump rollers, brakes, clutches, spark plugs, sensors, filters, windows,
thermal insulation, emissions control, heaters, igniters, glass fiber composites for door
chassis
Aerospace Thermal insulation, space shuttle tiles, wear components, combustor liners, turbine
blades/rotors, fire detection feedthrus, thermocouple housings, aircraft instrumentation
and control systems, satellite positioning equipment, ignition systems, instrument
displays and engine monitoring equipment, nose caps, nozzle jet vanes, engine flaps
Chemical Thermocouple protection tubes, tube sheet boiler ferrules, catalysts, catalyst supports,
pumping components, rotary seals
Coatings Engine components, cutting tools, industrial wear parts, biomedical implants, anti-
reflection, optical, self-cleaning coatings for building materials

Electrical/ Capacitors, insulators, substrates, integrated circuit packages, piezoelectric, transistor

Electronic dielectrics, magnets, cathodes, superconductors, high voltage bushings, antennas,
sensors, accelerator tubes for electronic microscopes, substrates for hard disk drives

Environmental Solid oxide fuel cells, gas turbine components, measuring wheels/balls for check valves
(oilfields), nuclear fuel storage, hot gas filters (coal plants), solar cells, heat
exchangers, isolator flanges for nuclear fusion energy research, solar-hydrogen
technology, glass fiber reinforcement
 Duties and Responsibilities
Ceramic Engineers might be expected to carry out the following..
Duties:
Supervise or test chemical ,
physical, or electrical properties
on ceramic substances
Analyze test results
Seek information on firing,
processing, and forming new
ceramic products out of inorganic
and raw materials
Figuring out different uses for the
ceramic materials
Responsibilities:
Controlling or directing other
workers activities
Rating information
Taking accurate and precise
measurements
Think logically
Comparing different
characteristics of useable materials
Demonstrate a variety of high
level mathematical skills
Greatest Engineering Achievements of
the 20th Century
Achievement How Ceramics Contribute:

1. Electrification

Electrical insulators for power lines,

insulators for industrial/household
applications, glass light bulbs
2. Automobile
Engine sensors, catalytic converters, spark plugs,
windows, engine components, electrical devices

3. Airplane

Anti-fogging/freezing glass windows, jet engine components,

electronic components
 Filters/membranes
4. Safe water supply and treatment

5. Electronics

Substrates and IC packages,

capacitors, piezoelectrics, insulators, magnets, superconductors
6. Radio and television

Glass tubes (CRTs), glass

faceplate, phosphor coatings,
electrical components, magnets
7. Agricultural mechanization
Refractories for melting and
forming of ferrous and non-ferrous metal components

8. Computers

Electrical components, magnetic

storage, glass for computer monitors
 Electrical components, glass optical fibers
9. Telephone

10. Air conditioning and refrigeration

Glass fiber insulation, ceramic

magnets
11. Interstate highways
Cement for roads and bridges, glass microspheres
used to produce reflective paints for signs and road lines.

12. Space exploration

Space shuttle tile, high-temperature

resistant components, ceramic ablation
materials, electromagnetic and
transparent windows, electrical
components, telescope lenses
13. Internet
Electronic components, magnetic storage,
computer monitor glass

14. Imaging: X-rays to

film

Piezoceramic transducers for

ultrasound diagnostics, sonar
detection, ocean floor mapping and
more, ceramic scintillator for X-ray
computed tomography (CT scans),
telescope lenses, glass monitors, phosphor coatings for radar and sonar screens

15. Household
Porcelain enamel coatings for major appliances,
appliances
glass fiber insulation for stoves and refrigerators,
electrical components, glass-ceramic stove tops,
spiral resistance heaters for toasters, ovens and ranges

16. Health
technologies

Replacement joints, heart valves, bone

substitutes, hearing aids, pacemakers,
teeth replacements/braces, transducers
for ultrasound diagnostics, scintillators for X-ray computed tomography (CT scans),
cancer treatments
17. Petroleum and Ceramic catalysts, refractories, packing media for
natural gas petroleum and gas refinement, cement and drill bits for well drilling
technologies

18. Lasers and fiber

Glass optical fibers, fiber amplifiers, laser materials, electronic components
optics

19. Nuclear
technologies

Fuel pellets, control rods, high-

reliability seats and valves, nuclear
waste containment
20. High-performance
Including advanced ceramics for their excellent wear, corrosion and high
materials
temperature resistance; high stiffness; high melting point; high compressive
strength and hardness; and wide range of electrical, magnetic, and optical
properties
Table 14-1 (Continued)
Structure and Properties of Ceramics
Ceramics usually have a
combination of stronger
bonds called ionic
(occurs between a metal
and nonmetal and
involves the attraction of
opposite charges when
electrons are transferred
from the metal to the
nonmetal);

The strength of an ionic bond depends on the size of the charge on

each ion and on the radius of each ion.
The greater the number of electrons being shared, is the greater the
force of attraction, or the stronger the covalent bond.

These types of bonds result in high elastic modulus and hardness,

high melting points, low thermal expansion, and good chemical
resistance. On the other hand, ceramics are also hard and often brittle
(unless the material is toughened by reinforcements or other means),
which leads to fracture.
Oxide nickel-zinc ferrite
representation, with
stoichiometry
Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 with
structure type inverse
spinel.
AX crystal structure
 General Comparison of Materials
Property Ceramic Metal Polymer
Hardness Very High Low Very Low
Elastic modulus Very High High Low

High temperature
strength
Thermal expansion High Low Very Low

Ductility Low High High

Corrosion resistance High Low Low

Wear resistance High Low Low

Electrical conductivity Depends on material High Low

Density Low High Very Low

Thermal conductivity Depends on material High Low

Magnetic Depends on material High Very Low

Properties of Ceramics
 Zirconium dioxide is one of the most studied ceramic materials. Pure ZrO2 has
a monoclinic crystal structure at room temperature and transitions
totetragonal and cubic at increasing temperatures. The volume expansion
caused by the cubic to tetragonal to monoclinic transformation induces very
large stresses, and will cause pure ZrO2 to crack upon cooling from high
temperatures. Several different oxides are added to zirconia to stabilize the
tetragonal and/or cubic phases: magnesium oxide (MgO), yttrium oxide,
(Y2O3), calcium oxide (CaO), and cerium(III) oxide (Ce2O3), amongst others.

Zirconia is very useful in its 'stabilized' state. In some cases, the tetragonal
phase can be metastable. If sufficient quantities of the metastable tetragonal
phase is present, then an applied stress, magnified by the stress
concentration at a crack tip, can cause the tetragonal phase to convert to
monoclinic, with the associated volume expansion. This phase transformation
can then put the crack into compression, retarding its growth, and enhancing
the fracture toughness. This mechanism is known as transformation
toughening, and significantly extends the reliability and lifetime of products
made with stabilized zirconia.
Fully Stabilized Zirconia

Generally, addition of more than 16 mol% of CaO (7.9 wt%),

16 mol% MgO (5.86 wt%), or 8 mol% of Y2O3 (13.75 wt%), into
zirconia structure is needed to form a fully stabilized zirconia.
Its structure becomes cubic solid solution.

Its structure becomes cubic solid solution, which has no

phase transformation from room temperature up to 2,500 C.
As a good ceramic ion conducting materials, fully yttria
stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) has been used in oxygen sensor and
solid oxide full cell (SOFC) applications.

The SOFC applications have recently been attracting more

worldwide attention, due to their high energy transfer
efficient and environment concerns.