What do I need to know about advanced ceramics?
We always read and hear a variety of reports, success stories and product news in technical ceramics. But the first thing that comes to our mind about ceramics is still the porcelain ceramics. Because porcelain ceramic is a very common material for creating plates, cups and much more.
I will try to answer many questions asked step by step to provide clarity.
What are ceramic materials?
In technical terminology, the term ceramic refers to a variety of inorganic non-metallic materials. These are roughly divided into the types earthenware, stoneware, porcelain and special masses.
What are inorganic non-metallic materials?
As mentioned above, these are ceramics, glass and hard materials in general.
What are inorganic metallic materials?
Inorganic materials include metals, semimetals, alloys and salts, as well as complexes and clusters thereof.
What are organic non-metallic materials?
Non-metallic materials include wood, plastics, concrete, and rubber.
Do organic metallic materials exist?
This type of grouping does not exist.
Where are technical ceramics or engineering ceramics used?
In medical technology, ceramic materials are used to replace bones and teeth. Here, the great mechanical strength and wear resistance as well as the high corrosion resistance and the good compatibility with living tissue are important, since it is bioinert.
In the household, ceramic knives with high sharpness and hard cutting edge are increasingly used to reduce regrinding in general. New developments in ceramic knives are going to make them more shatterproof and have a flexibility similar to steel. Mentioned here is the HIC High Impact Ceramic material from BSQ TECH GmbH.
The application fields of technical ceramics are very versatile and they range from the automotive industry to the dental industry.
How safe are ceramic knives?
The word stable is a very imprecise adjective, but it reflects the mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of technical ceramics.
In general, it is the task of the engineer or designer to make the component design safe and stable. An important point is that there are different ceramic materials, which have versatile properties. These must be taken into account during development to ensure the stability of the component.
A new material development in the area of HIC zirconium oxide by the company BSQ TECH GmbH makes it possible to produce fracture-resistant ceramics. The fracture toughness of this new HIC zirconia ceramic is at a KIC of 15, whereas the current zirconia values are at KIC 5. This new HIC zirconia ceramic makes it possible to increase the application safety.
What are the special properties of ceramic materials?
The properties of technical ceramics are very versatile and vary greatly from material to material. Here are some advantages of technical ceramics over metals: Great hardness, pressure load capacity, wear resistance, chemical resistance, electrical insulation.
Is technical ceramics fracture resistant?
Technical ceramics are very good materials in compression. However, under tensile load, they fail very quickly.
The reason is that technical ceramics do not allow plastic deformation and therefore break quickly.
The fracture safety can be heard from case to case by designing the components suitable for ceramics.
New ceramic materials such as the HIC High Impact Ceramic from BSQ TECH GmbH increase the fracture resistance of zirconia TZP and mixtures in ATZ. Special mention should be made here of the fracture toughness, as this has a KIC value of 15, whereas the standard KIC is 5. This is an enormous improvement and thus the fracture resistance is increased to all products.
Is ceramic a good conductor of heat?
The thermal conductivity [Wm^-1 K^-1] of ceramics is generally lower than that of metals such as steel or copper. However, materials such as silicon carbide and aluminum nitride are used as electrical insulating materials for thermal conduction purposes because of their relatively high thermal conductivity for ceramics.
Is ceramic harder than steel?
Ceramic is not only harder than steel, it is also lighter. In addition, ceramic is absolutely scratch-resistant and enables a mirror-smooth surface that feels pleasantly soft on the skin. The unique combination of properties makes ceramics the ideal material for the watch industry, machine industry, machining industry, medtech industry and many other industries.
Is the ceramic sustainable?
Ceramics is an environmentally friendly material made from natural raw materials in production cycles with reduced environmental impact and is ecologically sustainable thanks to its product characteristics and purpose.
Is ceramic flexible?
Ceramics in general are not flexible and they break when subjected to certain forces. Different technical ceramics have different modulus of elasticity and fracture toughness values, which contribute to how strong or flexible a technical ceramic is.
BSQ TECH GmbH has now succeeded in producing a flexible ceramic which has a very high fracture toughness value of KIC 15. Watch the video for proof.
Do you have any questions about technical ceramics?
We are happy to answer your questions about technical ceramics and support you in realizing your projects.
vWe always read and hear a variety of reports, success stories and product news in technical ceramics. But the first thing that comes to our mind about ceramics is still the porcelain ceramics. Because porcelain ceramic is a very common material for creating plates, cups and much more.
Contact us and together we will find a very good solution.
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