Engineering Materials

Assignment
(Types of Ceramics)

Submitted to: Sir Farhan

Roll no. 23
Usama Kifayat
Ceramics:
A ceramic material is an inorganic, non-metallic, often crystalline oxide,
nitride or carbide material. Some elements, such as carbon or silicon,
may be considered ceramics.

Properties of Ceramics:
Brittle.
Hard.
Strong in compression.
Generally electrical and thermal insulators.
High melting point.
Chemically inert.
Low density.
Wide range of appearance.

Classification of Ceramics:
Generally ceramics are classified based
on two things, composition and applications.

1. Classification based on Composition:

 Silicate Ceramics:
Presence of glassy phase in a porous structure clay ceramics
(with mullite3Al2O3.2SiO2) silica ceramics (with cordierite
2MgO.2Al2O3.2SiO2).

Oxide Ceramics:
Dominant crystalline phase, with small glassy phase single
oxide (Al2O3), modified oxide (zirconia toughened alumina)
mixed oxide ( BaTiO3).
 Non-oxide Ceramics:
Carbon, SiC, BN, TiB2 sialon.

Glass-ceramics:
Partially crystallized glass SiO2-Li2O, LAS, MAS.
2. Classification based on Applications:

- Glasses:
Based on SiO2 with additions to reduce melting point or give
special properties like:
containers
households
optical glasses

- High-performance Advanced Ceramics:

Special ceramics having improved toughness, wear resistance,
electrical properties, etc.

cutting tool
sensor
grinding
laser
bearing
superconductor

- Traditional Vitreous Ceramics:

Clay-based products:
porcelain
sanitary ware
tiles
bricks
refractories
 - Cement and Concrete:
A complex ceramics with many phases:

structural
composite

- Natural Ceramics:
Rocks
minerals
including ice bones

- Classification based on Industrial Ceramics:

Alumina Ceramic:
Alumina is one of the most widely used advanced ceramic, and is
made from aluminum oxide. Aluminas high ionic inter-atomic bond
makes it chemically very stable, thereby making it a good electrical
insulator. Further it is extremely resistant to wear and corrosion
andhas a high mechanical strength.
 Zirconia Ceramics:
Unlike other ceramic materials, zirconium oxide (ZrO2 also known as
zirconia) is a material with very high resistance to crack propagation.
Zirconium oxide ceramics also have very high thermal expansion and
are therefore often the material of choice for joining ceramic and steel.

Silicon Carbide Ceramic:

When the grains of silicon carbide are bonded together through a
process called sintering, they form a very hard ceramic. Due to its
hardness, it is used in applications requiring high endurance such as
car brakes, car clutches, ceramic plates and bullet proof vests.
 Cordierite Ceramic:
Cordierite typically occurs in contact of argillaceous rocks. Cordierite
has a very high thermal shock resistance and thus widely used in high
temperature industrial applications such as heat exchangers for gas
turbine.