Ceramics & Glasses Flashcards
what are some general applications of ceramics and glasses?
- facing materials (non-load bearing, used for appearance like texture/colour)
- load bearing products like bricks (low cost, insulating, fire proof)
- paving units (abrasion resistance)
- roofing tiles
- chemically resistant products like sewers and piping and industrial chimneys
what are the 3 main broad classes of ceramics?
- traditional (clay bodies)
- advanced/technical (using engineered ceramics)
- glasses (not always ‘ceramic’ but brittle solids)
what are some of the properties of ceramics?
- brittle solids
- no means for plastic deformation, as dislocations cannot relieve stress
- can be high strength but dominated by microstructure
- low toughness and elongation at failure (poor ductility)
why is it hard to plastically deform a ceramic?
has directional covalent bonding and so dislocation movement is difficult
what types of thing form ceramics?
- ionicly bonded compounds with a large difference in electronegativity
- covalently bonded compounds with similar electronegativities (oxides, nitrides etc.)
what structure does glass or glassy materials have?
amorphous structure (non-crystalline), the atoms have no periodic packing and is a result of quick cooling
what are the mechanical properties of glasses?
- glasses are brittle
- low toughness (low resistance to crack propagation)
- amorphous - limited dislocation movement as there is no periodic structure
what is the modulus of rupture?
a way of measuring the tensile strength of a ceramic - it’s like tensile strength but determined by bending (because ceramics cannot be tested in the same way as metals as they will crush and fracture)
what is the chemical symbol for glass? (common window glass)
SiO2
what does adding impurities to glass do?
adding impurities like sodium atoms reduces the melting point of the glass by disrupting the structure
what is a main difference between a glassy material and a crystalline material?
crystalline materals:
- crystallise at melting temp, Tm
- have an abrupt change in spec. volume at Tm
glasses:
- do not crystallise
- spec. volume varies smoothing with increase in T
- glass transition temp, Tg
what are some advantages of glass?
- optical transparency (windows to optical fibre)
- corrosion reisstance
- electrical and thermal insulator
- ease of fabrication (low softening point) - east to mass produce bottles on production line
what acid can dissolve glass?
hydrofluoric acid or you can boil sodium hydroxide and water with the glass
what are the three main components for forming glass?
silica soda and lime (plus any ionic solids to lower the melting point), heat these raw materials above Tm for a few hours to get it into viscous form
what are ideal conditions when forming glass for best optical transparency?
- homogenous (completely mixed)
- pore free (avoid bubbles and lower viscosity)
what temp is glass heated up to when processing?
glass is heated up to 800 degrees C to achieve a viscosity similar to syrup
what are the 3 main glass fabrication techniques?
- pressing
- blowing
- drawing
what is the relationship between temp and viscosity of a glass?
viscosity decreases with increasing T - becomes more liquidy with increasing temp
(viscous = thick, sticky)
what is T deform?
T deform is the temp. at which the glass is soft enough to deform or “work”
what is the relationship between impurities in glass and T deform?
impurities lowers T deform
what is pressing in terms of a glass fabrication technique?
- used to make thick walled pieces (plates)
- pressure in a heated mould of a desired shape
what is blowing in terms of a glass fabrication technique?
- used to make automated jars, light bulbs, bottles
- think blow moulding
- temporary shape formed by pressing and blow moulded after to conform to mould contours using compressed air
what is drawing in terms of a glass fabrication technique?
- used to make sheets, tubing or rod glass (anything with a constant cross section)
- fibre forming technique where temp and viscosity are critical
- glass is extruded through a small die
how do you make float glass?
glass floats on top of molten tine which allows for a very high quality finish and flat surface