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MITS
Introduction:
The metallic and nonmetallic materials are not suitable for certain engineering applications- for example
an electrical insulator to be used at high temperature floor tiles to resist spills, scuffing and abrasion a transparent baking dish
For such applications we need materials that have properties such as high temperature strength; hardness; inertness to chemicals, food; resistance
to wear and corrosion. Few of such materials are ceramics, glass, graphite,
diamond etc.
For purposes of organization, we classify ceramic materials into three basic types: (1) traditional ceramicssilicates used for clay products such as pottery and bricks, common abrasives, and cement (2) new ceramicsmore recently developed ceramics based on nonsilicates
Ceramics :
Ceramics are compound of metallic and non metallic elements. The word ceramic traces from the Greek keramos meaning potters clay and
rock composed of very fine-grained silica, SiO2 and feldspar ( a group of crystalline minerals consisting of aluminum silicates plus potassium, calcium
or sodium)
Shaping Ceramics:
Preparation of Powders:
Shaping Processes:
The shaping processes can be divided according to the consistency of the mixture: (1) slip casting, in which the mixture is a slurry with 25% to 40% water; (2) plastic-forming methods that shape the clay in a plastic condition at 15% to 25% water; (3) semi-dry pressing, in which the clay is moist (10% to 15% water) but has low plasticity; and (4) dry pressing, in which the clay is basically dry, containing less than 5% water. Dry clay has no plasticity.
Slip Casting:
A suspension of ceramic powders in water, called a slip, is poured into a
porous plaster of paris mold so that water from the mix is absorbed into the plaster to form a firm layer of clay at the mold surface. The slip composition is 25% to 40% water. Two principal variations: Drain casting - the mold is inverted to drain excess slip after a semisolid layer has been formed, thus producing a hollow product. Solid casting - to produce solid products, adequate time is allowed for entire body to become firm. Used for large parts, complex shapes; low equipment cost. Low production rate, limited dimensional accuracy.
Plastic Forming:
Plastic forming, also called soft, wet forming, can be carried out by various
Dry Pressing:
Process sequence is similar to semi-dry pressing - the main distinction is that
processes. Thereafter, it serves no purpose and must be removed from the body of the clay piece before firing.
Shrinkage is a problem during this step in the processing sequence because
water contributes volume to the piece, and when it is removed, the volume is reduced.
As water is removed from the wet clay, the volume of the piece shrinks.
Stage 1 - drying rate is rapid and constant as water evaporates from the
surface into the surrounding air and water from the interior migrates by capillary action to the surface to replace it. Stage 2 - the moisture content has been reduced to where the ceramic grains are in contact.
a) development of strong bond between the complex oxide particles in the ceramics, and b) reduced porosity.