Help with Oxide Ceramics specifications:
Applications
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| Applications: | |||
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| Abrasive / Erosive Wear Protection | Materials resist damage by abrasion or erosion, and protect underlying surfaces from abrasive or erosive wear. | ||
| Armor / Ballistic Protection | Materials are used to protect equipment, vehicles and/or personal against damage from blasts, explosions, bullets and other high-speed projectiles. | ||
| Battery / Fuel Cell | Material is suitable for use in battery or fuel cell as a collector plate, proton exchange membrane or catalyst. | ||
| Biocompatible / Bioceramics | Bioceramics are specially formulated or designed to have suitable biocompatibility for biotechnology and medical applications. | ||
| Ceramics / Glass Manufacturing | Materials provide resistance to molten glass, or are compatible with ceramics and glasses during firing, calcining or fusing in a kiln or furnace. | ||
| Chemical / Materials Processing | Materials provide high temperature and/or corrosion resistance, making them suitable for chemical-processing applications. Examples include ceramics or refractories with resistance to molten glass, ceramics, metals, plastics or other materials during milling, firing, calcination, fusion or other processes. | ||
| Construction & Building / Architectural | Materials are designed or suitable for use in architectural, building, and construction applications. Examples include bricks, fire bricks or tiles. | ||
| Corrosion Protection | Materials are designed or suitable for corrosive environments, such as the floors or walls of chemical processing plants. | ||
| Electrical / HV Parts | Materials are used to fabricate electrical parts for high voltage or power applications. Examples include insulators, igniters or heating elements. | ||
| Electronics / RF-Microwave | Materials are suitable for electronics applications, including RF and microwave. Ferrites, garnets, alumina/sapphire and silicates have sufficient dielectric properties for use in electronic, radio frequency (RF) and microwave devices such as antenna radomes, patch antenna substrates, thin/thick film substrates and resonators. In addition, ceramics, glass and other non-metallic compounds or elemental semiconductors are used as substrates, wafer or dummy wafers in semiconductor manufacturing. Ceramics are also used for wafer chucks or holders, wafer furnace boats and thin film chamber liners. | ||
| Flooring | Materials are suitable for flooring or floor-tiling applications. | ||
| Foundry / Metal Processing | Materials are designed for foundry and metal-processing applications. Ceramic and refractory crucibles, tubes, stoppers, liners, spouts, permanent molds, thermocouple protection tubes, combustion gas heater tubes, submersible heater tubes, die casting stalks/sleeves, and other furnace components are used in foundries for melting and casting aluminum, steel, copper alloys or other metals. | ||
| Optics / Optical Grade | Ceramic, optical grade materials are used in the fabricating or processing of optical components such as lenses, windows, prisms, optical fibers, and lasing material components. Materials with optical applications include single-crystal ceramics, transparent ceramics, sapphire, and quartz. | ||
| Refractory / High Temperature Materials | Refractory and high-temperature materials are hard, heat-resistant products such as alumina cement, fire clay, bricks, precast shapes, cement or monolithics, and ceramic kiln furniture. Ceramic refractories have high melting points and are suitable for applications requiring wear-resistance, high temperature strength, electrical or thermal insulation, or other specialized characteristics. | ||
| Roofing | Materials are suitable for roofing or roof-tiling applications. | ||
| Structural | Structural applications require ceramic components with a suitable strength, elastic modulus, toughness, and other mechanical properties. Ceramics can have much higher compressive strengths and elastic moduli compared to metals. | ||
| Thermal Insulation / Fire Proofing | Thermally-insulating ceramics and refractories provide a thermal barrier between components and a hot or cold source. These ceramics and refractory shapes are also useful in providing flame protection and fire-proofing between a burner and the surrounding environment, or between combustion and oxygen sources. | ||
| Walls | Materials are suitable for use on walls. | ||
| Wear Parts / Tooling | Wear-resistant ceramics are used in industrial products such as automotive rings, pump parts, valve seals/seats, faucet discs, papermaking machine dewatering strips, aluminum can dies, wire drawing dies and textile guides. | ||
| Other | Other unlisted, specialized or proprietary applications. | ||
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Physical & Optical Properties
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| Density | Density is the mass per unit area for a material. The fired density is dependent on the theoretical density of 100% dense body and the actual porosity retained after processing. | ||
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| Index of Refraction | The index of refraction is a measure of the speed of light in a material. | ||
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| Transmission | This is the amount of light transmitted through a material. | ||
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Features
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| Performance Features: | |||
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| Coated | Coated materials use or are available with a glaze (fused glass enamel), metallized coating, plastic coating or other protective coating. The coating may seal porosity, improve water or chemical resistance, or enhance joining to metals or other materials. This category also includes glass materials with an organic coating or film, or ceramic frit coating for spandrel applications. | ||
| Machinable | Machinable ceramics can be machined in the green, glass or finished state without excessive chipping. Typically, non-machinable ceramics are ground to finished dimensions, often with super abrasive grinding wheels. | ||
| Modified / Doped | Materials are modified or doped with ions or additions of another ceramic to impart specific properties or improve processing. | ||
| Porous / Foam | Porous ceramics have a large degree of open or closed internal pores that provide a thermal barrier. Certain ceramics have intrinsically low thermal conductivity, even in dense forms. Reticulated foam refractories are useful in filtering molten metals and providing an extremely low density structure for insulation or other applications. | ||
| Sintered / Fired | Sintered or fired ceramics are homogenous materials in which individual grains or crystals are bonded to each other without the introduction of a foreign material (binder or cement) beyond small traces of dopants or sintering aids. These materials are densified through sintering or firing process. Sintered ceramics are sometime hot-pressed or hot isostatic pressed (HIP) to increase density close to theoretical. | ||
| Soft | Soft ferrites have low magnetization and are used in applications where the fields and magnetizations are cycled frequently and hysteresis losses are critical. Soft ferrites exhibit magnetic properties only when they are subject to a magnetizing force such as the magnetic field created when current is passed through wire surrounding a soft magnetic core. Ceramic ferrites have a distinct advantage in some applications (magnetic cores) over ferromagnetic metals because their highly resistive nature eliminates or minimizes eddy current losses. Soft piezoelectrics are less resistant to stress induced depolarization compared to hard piezoelectrics. High sensitivity or "soft" ceramics feature high sensitivity and permittivity, but if over driven these materials can be damaged due to self-heating beyond their operating temperature range or Curie temperature. Soft piezoelectrics are used in various sensors, low-power motor-type transducers, receivers, and low power generators. | ||
| Hard | Hard ferrites or magnetic materials have high magnetization or remanence (B) and these materials are used as permanent magnets. Hard ferrites retain their magnetization after the applied magnetics is removed. Soft ferrites have low magnetization and are used in applications where the fields and therefore magnetizations are cycled frequently and hysteresis losses are critical. Ceramic ferrites have a distinct advantage in some applications (magnetic cores) over ferromagnetic metals because their highly resistive nature eliminates or minimizes eddy current losses. High power or "hard" piezoelectric ceramics can withstand high levels of electrical excitation and mechanical stress. These materials are suited for high voltage or high power generators and transducers. Hard piezoelectric ceramics are more resistant to stress induced depolarization compared to soft piezoelectrics. Hard piezoelectric materials are characterized by a very high load or distortion constant, low hysteresis and high Qm. | ||
| Metallized / Silvered (Electrode, Mirror) | Ceramic surfaces are coated with a thin metal layer applied by plating, thin film, fired-on coating or other process. The coatings maybe continuous or selectively patterned on the surface or thru vias. In addition, float glass sheet or glass plate silvered to produce sheet mirror stock. | ||
| Single Crystal | Single crystal materials consist of a monocrystal or single grain without any grain boundaries. The atoms maintain the same unit cell pattern and orientation throughout the material. Single crystals of natural or man-made materials exhibit the desirable piezoelectric, optical or magnetic properties that cannot be attained with a polycrystalline ceramic material. An expanding variety of single crystals is being developed for acoustic, optical, wireless communication, and other applications. | ||
| Specialty / Other | Other unlisted, specialized, or proprietary material features. | ||
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Material Type
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| Alumina / Aluminum Oxide | Alumina or aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is a compound that consists of aluminum and oxygen. Typically, it used in the alpha alumina structural form. In its pure form, alumina is a white ceramic material with high hardness. Fully-dense alumina can be translucent. Alumina is used widely because of its versatility and relatively low cost. Depending on its purity and density, alumina is used to make refractory tubes, industrial crucibles, analytical labware, dielectric substrates, wear components, refractory cements, and abrasives. Alumina’s main drawback is having relatively poor thermal shock resistance, which is due to its higher coefficients of thermal expansion and lower thermal conductivity compared to other pure ceramic materials, such as silicon carbide (SiC). | ||
| Aluminum Silicate (Mica, Sillimanite, etc.) | Ceramics contain or are based upon natural or synthetic aluminosilicate minerals such as sillimanite, fibrolite, or mica. Sillimanite, fibrolite, and mica are aluminum silicate (Al2SiO5) compounds that consist of silicon, aluminum and oxygen. Sillimanite is also a naturally-occurring mineral that is calcined through processing. Mica also contains potassium, and is characterized by its layer structure. Mica is fireproof and non-fusing, and can resist temperatures of up to 900° C - depending on the type of mica. Mica also has low heat conductivity, excellent thermal stability, and good dielectric or electrical insulation properties. The major types of mica are muscovite, biotite, and phlogopite. | ||
| Alumina-Zirconia | Zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) and other zirconia-alumina ceramics are often used in wear applications as an intermediate solution between alumina and zirconia. ZTA offers increased fracture toughness over alumina at a lower cost compared to pure or high zirconia ceramics. Depending on the purity and density, alumina is used for refractory tubes, industrial crucibles, analytical labware, wear components, refractory cements, and abrasives. | ||
| Beryllia / Beryllium Oxide | Beryllia and beryllium oxide (BeO) ceramics provide high thermal conductivity and heat dissapation combined with high dielectric strength, which make BeO useful in electronic heatsinks, substrates, and packaging applications using miniaturized circuitry. Beryllia is also fabricated into crucibles, rods, washers, and thermocouple tubing. | ||
| Calcium Aluminate | Calcium aluminate (CaAlO3) refractories are usually derived from calcium aluminate, calcium, or alumina-bearing minerals. Calcium aluminate is used in refractory cements and shapes, as well as synthetic slag additions for metallurgical operations. | ||
| Ceria / Cerium Oxide | Ceria, cerium oxide, or ceric oxide is used in ceramics, solid oxide fuel cells, in optical polishing compounds, and as a sensitizer in photosensitive glass. Cerium is also part of the rare earth oxides group. | ||
| Cordierite | Cordierite (2MgO·2Al2O3·5SiO2) or cordierite porcelain is a magnesium aluminum silicate produced by fusing a mixture of talc, clay, and aluminum oxide. Cordierite and cordierite mineral precursors are also known as magnesium-alumino silicate, dichroite, and iolite. Cordierite has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, high mechanical strength, and low dielectric loss. Cordierite is commonly fabricated into an insulator or insulating substrate because of its good dielectric properties. Cordierite has excellent thermal-shock resistance. It can withstand a red heat to ice water quench, and then be returned to red heat. High-fire cordierite body will withstand a temperature rise from 70º to 1800º in 80 seconds, followed by an immediate room-temperature air quench. | ||
| Ferrite Ceramic | Ferrites are ferrimagnetic oxides with dielectric and magnetic properties that are useful for RF and microwave applications. Spinel ferrites typically have a general formula of AB2O4. Iron-based ferrites have the general formula MO-Fe2O3 where M is a divalent ion such as Fe, Ni, Cu, Mg, Mn, Co, Zn, or Li. Hexagonal ferrites, hexaferrites, or materials in the magnetoplumbites group have the general formula AB12O19 and include barium ferrite and strontium ferrites. | ||
| Fireclay | Fireclay is a heat-resistant, secondary clay or clay-based mixture useful for elevated temperature or refractory bond applications. Fireclay-based refractories or ceramics use natural clay or a mixture of clay and other ceramics such as alumina, calcium aluminate, or silicon carbide. Clays or kaolin acts as a binder, and provides plasticity during shape or product processing. Typically, fireclays have high alumina and silica levels such as flint clays, plastic fire clays, or other secondary clays. Fireclays usually contain between 10-40% alumina and 40-80% silica. | ||
| Forsterite | Forsterite is a stoichiometric magnesium orthosilicate (Mg2SiO4) used in applications that require a high coefficient of thermal expansion. Forsterite has desirable electrical insulation properties and is used as a layer on transformer steel sheets. This layer is formed by the reaction of magnesium oxide with the silicon additions of the steel during annealing. Forsterite is also used in bulk form to fabricate insulators. | ||
| Garnet (Ferromagnetic) | Ferrogarnets or rare earth iron garnets have a fairly complex structure with the general formula of (3M2O3)C(2Fe2O3)A(3Fe2O3)D where M is yttria or rare earth ion and (A,C,D) are lattice site. Yttrium aluminum garnet or YIG (Y2Fe5O12) is a common microwave or ferromagnetic garnet. Magnetization levels are modified by substituting Al for Fe or combinations of Ho, Dy or Gd for Y in microwave or ferromagnetic garnets. | ||
| Glass Ceramic | Glass ceramics are ceramics that can be fused and then molded, formed, ground, or machined using conventional glass fabrication techniques. After part fabrication, the glass ceramics' structure is transformed from an amorphous, glassy state to a crystalline ceramic state. MACOR® is widely applied glass ceramic with a fluorine rich glass composition approaching trisilicic fluorphlogopite mica (KMg3AlSi3O10F2). MACOR®is a trademarked proprietary material of Corning Corporation. Ceran®, Ceramat®, Robax®and Zerodur® are widely-applied proprietary glass ceramics from Schott Glass Corporation. | ||
| Hafnia / Hafnium Oxide | Hafnia or hafnium oxide is similar in nature to zirconia, exhibiting high refractoriness or thermal stability and reasonable elevated temperature strength. Hafnia is useful for crucibles, tubes, and thermocouple sheath is specific applications. Hafnia can be stabilized with calcia (CaO) or yttria (Y2O3) for high-temperature applications. Hafnia has a higher bulk density (9 g/cc) compared to zirconia (5.7 g/cc). Hafnium and zirconium occur together in nature. Hafnium films are used in optical coating applications where they provide a high-index, low-absorption material in the near-UV to IR regions. | ||
| Kaolin / Clay Based | Kaolin-based refractories or ceramics use natural kaolin or a mixture of clay and other ceramics such as alumina, calcium aluminate, or silicon carbide. Kaolin acts as a binder and provides plasticity. It is a hydrous, mineral clay that is based on aluminum silicate [Al2(Si205)(0H)4]. Kaolin is also referred to as clay, anhydrous aluminum silicate, aluminum silicate dihydrate, nacrite, dickite, kaolinite, calcined, kaolinite, china clay, bolus alba, porcelain clay, aluminum, silicate hydroxide, or aluminum silicate (hydrated). Kaolin’s plate-like structure allows particles in a wet clay mass to slide across each other and maintain plasticity. Kaolin is a white, soft, plastic clay composed primarily of well-ordered kaolinite mineral [Al2Si2O5(OH)4] with minor amounts of quartz, feldspar, and sheet silicate minerals (mica, illite, smectite, and chlorite). Geologically, there are two types of kaolin deposits, i.e., primary and secondary kaolin. Primary kaolin is formed through the alteration, or kaolinization, of in-situ minerals of feldspar and other aluminum silicates to kaolinite. Secondary kaolin is laid down as sediments, usually in fresh water, far from the place of origin. Various types of secondary kaolin are ball clay, fireclay, or flint clay depending on kaolinite content and their properties. | ||
| Magnesia / Magnesite | Magnesia ceramics or refractories are based on compounds that consist of magnesium and oxygen. Magnesite or magnesia refractories or minerals are also known as magnesium oxide, magnesium carbonate, dead burned magnesite, calcined magnesite, periclase, or magnesia clinker. Depending on the origin and processing, magnesia is divided into caustic, dead-burnt, fused, precipitated, sintered, or calcined and synthetic magnesia forms. The high melting point (2800° C) and heat resistance (1700°C in the reducing and 2300° C in oxidizing atmosphere) of magnesium oxide make it suitable for the production of refractories. Magnesite is the naturally occurring mineral or ore used to produce magnesium oxide based refractories. Magnesite often contains iron, manganese, or other activator elements. Magnesium oxide refractories with a carbon bond are frequently used in the steel industry. Magnesite refractories have good resistance to molten iron and steel. | ||
| Mullite | Mullite (3Al2O3-2Si02 or Al6Si2O13) is a compound of aluminum, silicon, and oxygen. Mullite can also be viewed as a phase in the alumina-silica binary system. Mullite is a synthetic, fused, or calcined crystalline aluminum silicate produced in electric arc furnaces from alumina and silica. Mullite usually has an off-white or tan color. Depending on the purity and density, mullite can have superior dielectric and thermal shock properties and resistance to slag and silicate refractory bonds. Mullite is used for refractory tubes, industrial crucibles, analytical labware, dielectric substrates, wear components, and in refractory cements. Calcining kyanite minerals often derive refractory grade mullite or alumina-mullite mixtures. | ||
| Porcelain | Porcelain materials are used for both industrial and ornamental applications. Traditional porcelain is made from a mixture of feldspar, clay (kaolin), and flint. Steatite or cordierite porcelains are commonly used in electrical insulator applications. Many porcelain compositions are based on the K20-Al203-SiO2 or Mg0-Al203-SiO2 ternary systems. | ||
| Quartz | Quartz is found in a mined mineral form, as well as man-made fused quartz forms. Fused quartz is a high purity, crystalline form of silica used in specialized applications such as semiconductor wafer boats, furnace tubes, bell jars or quartz ware, silicon melt crucibles, high-performance lamps such as mercury and quartz halogen lamps, ultraviolet (UV) lamps, thermocouple protectors, waveguide handles, analytical labware, and other high-temperature products. Single-crystal quartz is also available for piezoelectric applications. | ||
| REO | Rare earth oxides (REO) ceramics are manufactured from Lanthanide series metal oxides such as lanthana, samaria, ytterbia, and ceria. Rare earth oxide can have unique chemical and surface tension modifying properties. Mixed rare earth compositions consist of rare earth oxides combined with more conventional oxides; oxides of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu. | ||
| Sapphire | Sapphire is a high-purity and high-density, single-crystalline form of aluminum oxide, which may contain chromia, titania, yttria, or other dopants. Sapphire is usually transparent or translucent. Sapphire ceramics are used in lasers, substrates, jewel bearings, watch crystals or other optical, wear, electronic, and specialized applications. Ruby, corundum, and topaz are other names for natural or synthetic sapphire. Ruby is chromium-doped sapphire used in optical filters and laser rods. | ||
| Silica / Fused Silica | Fused silica is a compound of silicon and oxygen. High purity, amorphous, fused silica is a high-performance ceramic with very low expansion, remarkable thermal shock resistance, low thermal conductivity, excellent electrical insulation up to 1000° C, and excellent resistance to corrosion from molten metal and glass. | ||
| Steatite | Steatite or steatite porcelains are based on hydrated magnesium silicate (3MgO-4SiO2-4H2O) and are similar in composition to naturally-occurring soapstone or mineral talc. Steatite ceramics may also have additions of alumina, calcia, and ferrous oxide. Resistance heaters and electrical insulators are commonly made of steatite due to the material's low cost, refractoriness, and high electrical resistance at high temperatures. Steatite and steatite minerals are also known as soapstone, massive talc, block steatite, and soapstone silicate. Steatite ceramic is ideal for high frequency, low loss, and high voltage insulation. Steatite has good mechanical properties and low loss electrical qualities. It is ideal for resistor forms, igniters, standoffs, surge arrestors, coil forms, spacers, spark plugs, etc. Steatite is easily fabricated to close tolerances and is much less expensive than alumina ceramic insulators. | ||
| Titania / Titanate | Titania or rutile minerals (TiO2) are compounds that consist of titanium and oxygen. Titanates are compounds with titanium, an additional cation (Ba, Al, Sr), and oxygen. Examples include BaTiO3. Typically, titania and titanates are used as additions to other refractories, or for their specialized electrical or piezoelectric properties. | ||
| Yttria | Yttria or yttrium oxide powders are used as additives for strengthening ceramics, forming phosphors, microwave garnets, and lasing garnets. Yttria powders are also used to form a molten, metal-resistant coating on the internal walls of crucibles. Yttria additions in zirconia ceramics can stabilize the tetragonal phase, providing a transformation toughening mechanism. Yttria is used as a constituent in yttrium-iron garnets for microwave applications and neodybnium-yttrium-aluminum garnets for Nd:YAG laser applications. High temperature superconductors, such as YBa2Cu3O, also utilize yttrium. While not technically within the rare earth group, yttrium oxide shares many of the properties typical of REO materials. | ||
| Zircon | Zircon is a compound of a zirconium silicate, ZrSiO4, which is found naturally in the form of zircon sand. Zircon has useful refractory properties. | ||
| Zirconia | Zirconia or zirconium oxide (ZrO2) is a refractory compound of zirconium and oxygen. Zirconia may have additions of calcia, magnesia, or yttria to stabilize the structure into a cubic structure. Zirconia stabilized in the cubic crystal structure avoids cracking and mechanical weakening during heating and cooling. Certain zirconia materials have the ability to transformation toughen (tetragonal to monoclinic phase change) under applied stress. They are often used in wear applications that require improved fracture toughness and stiffness over alumina. Zirconia ceramics possess excellent chemical inertness and corrosion resistance at temperatures well above the melting point of alumina. Zirconia is more costly than alumina, so it is only used where alumina will fail. Zirconia has low thermal conductivity and is an electrical conductor above 800° C. Zirconia is used to fabricate oxygen sensors or fuel cell membranes because it possesses the unique ability to allow oxygen ions to move freely through the crystal structure above 600° C. Zirconia products should not be used in contact with alumina above 1600°C. Depending on the purity and density, zirconia is used in refractory tubes or cylinders, industrial crucibles, analytical labware, sensors, wear components, refractory cements, thermocouple protection tubes, furnace muffles, liners, and high temperature heating element supports. | ||
| Other | Other unlisted, specialized, or proprietary ceramic types. | ||
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| Composite / Ceramic Matrix | Composite materials consist of a matrix material reinforced with a stronger or higher modulus second phase. The second phase may be in the form of particulates, chopped fibers or continuous fibers. The matrix may consist of a ceramic in CRC or ceramic matrix composites. Ceramic or reinforcing fibers are commonly chosen with high modulus and/or strength. | ||
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Shape / Form
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| Bar Stock | Stock products are available in the form of a bar or rod, usually with a square cross-section. Stock forms can be processed in rectangular, oval, hexagonal, or other shapes. | ||
| Block | Blocks are building materials or masonry units consisting of fired ceramic or cement materials with a regular shape. Blocks usually have a rectangular shape, although specialized shapes are used for paving, refractory, decorative and other specialized applications. Refractory or fireclay blocks are manufactured from temperature resistant materials. Refractory blocks are stacked to form an insulating furnace, boiler, or other thermal process vessel wall. The refractory blocks are usually cemented together with a refractory mortar. Blocks are similar to bricks but typically smaller in overall dimensions. | ||
| Fabricated / Custom Shape | Materials are fabricated in the form of a custom or application-specific shape such as a crucible, valve seat, blade, fired custom shaped brick or block, custom contoured tile, diffuser, furnace lining, degasser, and precast cement or concrete structural shape. The custom shape could be fabricated using pressing, slip casting, firing or sintering, melting, casting, cement form casting, and/or other processing methods. | ||
| Ferrule / Eyelet | Ferrules and eyelets are cylindrically-shaped ceramic components with a central bore for protection or spacing applications. Refractory ferrules provide the best protection possible for vulnerable boiler tube inlet areas and metal tube sheets in sulfur recovery units (SRUs), methane reformers and waste heat boilers (WHBs). Eyelets are used in textile and wear guide applications. Ceramic ferrules or stand-offs are used in circuit board, fiber optic, and RF & microwave applications. Electronic ferrules or stand-offs required good dielectric properties. Optical ceramic ferrules are used in the alignment of optical fiber. Electronic ferrules are used in spacing or insulating electronic components. | ||
| Filter / Diffuser | Spargers or diffusers are porous ceramics used to blow fine bubbles of a gas into a metal melt to remove impurities, particulates or other detrimental melt gases, de-oxidize melts, and enable chemical reactions. Filters are porous ceramics are used to remove impurities by passing the molten materials through the filter. | ||
| Foundry / Plunger Tools (Stirrer, Stopper, etc.) | Foundry or plunger tools are designed to be immersed in molten metal and aid in the processing and casting of metal melts. Foundry and plunger tools include stirring rods, mixing paddles, dippers, skimmers, degasser tubes, degassing rotors, riser stalks, and stopper rods. Plunger mixers or stirring rods are dipped into molten materials to agitate, mix, or sample the metal or glass melt to assure consistent homogeneity. Stopper rods are used to control the flow and mixing of molten material in a crucible, ladle, pot or furnace. Stoppers are used to stop or control flow of a melt by plugging up a hole in the bottom of furnace crucible or melting pot. Dippers or skimmers are used to remove. | ||
| Granular Fill / Bed Media | Granular fill is a loose, insulating material such as vermiculite that is loaded into a cavity to provide insulation and remains in a loose, unbonded condition. Bed media is a loose granular ceramic used in a catalytic oxidizer, fluid bed heater, or other thermal process unit to hold, filter or carry catalyst chemicals or particles during the heating, burning, or chemical reaction operation. Typically, ceramic bed media and granular fill have a high degree of porosity. | ||
| Kiln Furniture / Support | Beams, posts, setters, supports, rollers, baffles, kiln cars, boats, shelves, or other components are used to support, move, and process products or raw materials in furnaces or kilns. | ||
| Liner - Modular / Sectional | Modular or sectional lining systems consist of a series of interlocking components that fit or stack together to form a protective furnace lining. Induction furnaces often utilize a modular furnace lining system fabricated from ceramics that do not interfere with the inductive heating process. Liners may use a backup of ramming cement behind the liner, but not within the interlocking grooves. Removal of refractory cement between the ceramic sections improves lining life and quality of the melt. Tongue and groove crucibles are a modular crucible system consisting of a series of interlocking components that stack together to form a furnace lining or crucible. | ||
| Spout / Nozzle (Launder Pouring / Atomization) | Pouring nozzles or orifices are used to direct or meter the flow of molten metal or other melted materials. Atomization nozzles are a critical component in the gas atomization process used to product metal powders. Ceramic nozzles are also used to shield other components of a system from arcs or abrasive jet/blast streams. Pouring cups, pouring tubes, tundish nozzles, and continuous casting tips also fit into this category. A launder or spout is used delivery molten metal or molten glass from a furnace to ladle or crucible, from furnace to furnace, or from a furnace or crucible to a mold or forming equipment. | ||
| Plate / Board (e.g., Fiberboard) | Stock products are available in the form of a solid plate, slab, board, or substrate. The board or plate may consist of a ceramic fiberboard product, a dense sintered ceramic plate, or a precast cement bonded slab. | ||
| Powder / Aggregate (Grain / Grog) | Stock products are available in a particulate form such as a powder, grog, grain, or fused and crushed aggregate. | ||
| Precursor / Sol-gel | Stock or standard products are available in the form of a liquid, solid or gaseous chemical precursor, or sol-gel chemical components. Sol-gel ceramics are made using alkoxide precursor chemicals. | ||
| Preforms | Preforms are pre-made shapes or near-net shaped components. | ||
| Tile | Tile consists of a flat, thin ceramic shape usually with beveled edges for lining or covering a surface. Tile may have square, rectangular, hexagonal, triangular, round or custom shapes. Tiles often have a protective glaze to create a waterproof or water resistance surface. Tile can be smooth and glossy for wall applications, or anti-slip textured with a matt finish for floor applications. | ||
| Wafer Carrier / Holder | Wafer carriers and holders are specialized devices for processing of silicon or compound (GaAs) semiconductor wafers. Ceramics are used to fabricate wafer carriers due to their corrosion resistance and refractoriness. Wafers are mounted onto or held by the carriers during dicing, polishing, lapping, thinning, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), inspection or other operations. | ||
| Wafer / Substrate | Ceramic products in the form of thin substrates and wafers are used in semiconductor, thin and thick-film deposition, and optoelectronics applications. The ceramic material may be a dielectric insulator, a semiconductor, or a semi-insulator. Wafers for semiconductor applications usually consist of round substrates that are precision-polished and planarized. | ||
| Rod Stock | Stock products are available in the form of a rod or a bar with a round cross-section. | ||
| Roller / Roll | Rolls or rollers are tube or hollow shaped components used in bearing, rolling, and material handling applications. Ceramic rollers are a key component in hybrid ceramic roller bearings. Ceramic or fused silica rolls are used in furnaces to handle or move hot glass sheet or other thermally processed materials. | ||
| Tube Stock | Tube stock has a single, central bore or inner diameter. Tubes are commonly used as heating elements, for thermocouple protection, or channeling molten metal. | ||
| Tube / Sheath - Immersion (Closed End) | Sheathed, immersion, or closed-end tubes are designed to protect heating elements, burners, or other devices in high-temperature furnaces from immersion in molten metals, glasses, or other melted materials. | ||
| Specialty / Other | Other unlisted, specialized or proprietary shapes or forms. | ||
| Search Logic: | All products with ANY of the selected attributes will be returned as matches. Leaving all boxes unchecked will not limit the search criteria for this question; products with all attribute options will be returned as matches. | ||
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| Hollow Stock / Shape? | Materials are supplied or available as hollow tubes, pipes or other stock with an open internal bore. | ||
| Search Logic: | "Required" and "Must Not Have" criteria limit returned matches as specified. Products with optional attributes will be returned for either choice. | ||
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Dimensions
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| Length | The length of a stock material such as a bar, rod, plate or tube. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Width / O.D. | The width is the outer diameter (O.D.) of stock shapes such as bars, plates, and tubes; or of fabricated components such as crucibles. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Thickness / Wall Thickness | The thickness of a stock form, tube wall, or other fabricated component. Stock forms include bars, rods, plates and tubes. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Bore Diameter (I.D.) | The bore diameter or inner diameter (ID) is the width at the bottom of fabricated, tapered components such as crucibles. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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Thermal
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| Max Use / Curie Temperature | This is the maximum temperature that the refractory or ceramic material can be exposed to momentarily without the degradation of structural or other required end-use properties. The maximum use temperature is usually equal to the melt temperature of the metal, glass, or other material contained by the refractory body in the furnace, boiler or process unit. The Curie point is the temperature above which a material loses its unique magnetic, dielectric or piezoelectric property. Ferrites or other magnetic materials lose their unique magnetic properties above the Curie temperature. The relative permeability drops to a value below 0.1 above the Curie temperature. Magnetic susceptibility is inversely proportional to temperature. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Thermal Conductivity | Thermal conductivity is the linear heat transfer per unit area through a material for a given applied temperature gradient. Heat flux (h) = [thermal conductivity (k) ] x [temperature gradient (Δ T)] | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Coeff. of Thermal Expansion (CTE) | The coefficient of linear expansion (CTE) is the amount of linear expansion or shrinkage that occurs in a material with a change in temperature. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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Electrical
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| Dielectric Strength | Dielectric strength is the maximum voltage field that the ceramic or material can withstand before electrical breakdown occurs. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Dielectric Constant (Relative Permittivity) | The dielectric constant is the relative permittivity of a material compared to a vacuum or free space. k = εr = ε / εo= where ε is the absolute permittivity of the material and εo is the absolute permittivity of a vacuum 8.85 x 10-12 F/m. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Loss Tangent (tan δ ) | In dielectric materials, the loss tangent or loss coefficient is ratio of the imaginary or loss permittivity to the real permittivity of a material. In a capacitive circuit with a sinusoidal or AC voltage, the loss tangent is equal to the ratio of dissipated or discharged current to the storage current tan δ = | IR / IC | . The dielectric quality factor (Q) is equal the inverse of the loss tangent. High Q or low loss tangents are required to reduce insertion losses. Q = (average stored energy per cycle / energy dissipated per cycle) In magnetic materials or ferrites, the loss tangent or loss coefficient is ration of complex imaginary permeability (µ") to real permeability(µ'). | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Electrical Resistivity | Electrical resistivity is the longitudinal electrical resistance (ohm-cm) of a uniform rod of unit length and unit cross-sectional area. Electrical resistivity is the inverse of conductivity. High resistivity is a defining characteristic of a dielectric material. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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Electromagnetic and Magnetic Properties
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| Saturation Magnetization (Bs or 4πMs) | Saturation magnetization or flux density (Bs , 4πJs, 4πMs) is the flux density (B) at which saturation of a magnetic material occurs. Saturation is the point at which the flux density (B) in a material does not increase with further application of increased magnetization force (H). | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Permeability (µ) | Permeability is the ability of a material to carry magnetic flux as compared to the permeability of a vacuum, which by definition has a permeability of one. Initial permeability is determined by the slope or the B-H curve for a given small flux density (< 10 Gauss). Permeability is the ratio of the flux density to the magnetizing force: µ = B/H where H = magnetic field strength or magnetizing force and B = magnetization induction, moment or flux density in the material (given in flux per unit area). Permeability varies as a function of the applied magnetic field strength (H). A maximum incremental permeability value usually occurs as the applied magnetic field strength is increased. In the CGS system, permeability has no dimensions. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Coercive Force (Hc) | The coercive force is equal to the demagnetization force required to reduce the residual induction, Br, to zero in a magnetic field after magnetizing to saturation. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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Piezoelectric Properties
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| Mechanical Qm | Mechanical Qm provides an indication of the relative steepness of a mechanical vibration resonance at or near the resonant frequency. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Electromechanical Coupling Constant (k33) | The coupling factor (k) is a related to the ratio of stored energy converted to the stored input energy. The coupling factor provides an indication of the efficiency of transduction in electromechanical or mechanical-electrical conversion, but not the absolute efficiency since energy can be converted at low frequencies. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Distortion / Charge Constant (d33) | The piezoelectric material constant (d) provides an indication of strain for a given applied electric field. The 33 in d33 indicates the induced strain per unit electric field strength is in the 3-direction or the electric dipole per unit applied stress in the 3-direction. The X,Y,Z directions are equivalent to 1,2,3 directions. P = dT where P is the electric dipole and T is the tensile stress in the material. Charge constant is usually give in units of pm/V or pC/N. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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Mechanical
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| MOR / Flexural Strength | Modulus of rupture (MOR), cross-break strength or flexural strength (3-point or 4-point) is the maximum flexural stress a bar can withstand before failure or fracture occurs. The bar is supported by two points beneath the bar and the load is applied by one or two points above the bar. Cross break strength is used to evaluate the strength of ceramics or other materials that do not provide sufficient plastic deformation to test tensile strength reliably. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Compressive / Crushing Strength | The crushing or compressive strength is the maximum compressive load per unit cross section that a ceramic body can withstand before mechanical failure or breakage occurs. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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| Modulus of Elasticity | Young's modulus or the modulus of elasticity is a material constant that indicates the variation is strain produced under an applied tensile load. Higher modulus of elasticity materials provides higher stiffness or rigidity. | ||
| Search Logic: | User may specify either, both, or neither of the "At Least" and "No More Than" values. Products returned as matches will meet all specified criteria. | ||
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