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AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
emerging ceramics & glass technology
Apri l 2015
Near net shaping of ceramic
components—‘Plant tour’ of
a custom manufacturer
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Expo issue!
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Why did it break? Fractography answers •
Ceramics in paper manufacturing •
Market trends for advanced ceramics •
Upcoming meetings: GOMD-DGG, CMCEE •
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contents
April 2015 • Vol. 94 No. 3
feature articles
Growth in advanced ceramics market fueled by new applications . . . . . . . . 24
April Gocha
Advanced ceramics have attractive properties—including resistance to corrosion, heat,
impact, and chemical attack—that make them competitive in a variety of markets.
Near net shaping of ceramic components—
‘Plant tour’ of a custom manufacturer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Thomas O. Henriksen
Automated near net shaping of custom ceramic parts saves time, material, and energy.
Why did it break?
38 years of teaching fractographers how to answer the question . . . . . . . . 32
George Quinn and James Varner
A historical perspective and closer look at Alfred University’s fractography of glasses and
ceramics short course, which has run continously for nearly four decades.
cover story
Near net shaping of ceramic
components—‘Plant tour’ of a
custom manufacturer
Credit: Ceramco
Ceramic materials in pulp and paper manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
– page 26
Mahendra Patel
Many areas of paper manufacturing use alumina, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, composites,
ceramic coatings, and other advanced ceramic components.
meetings
Ceramics Expo 2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
GOMD-DGG 2015: Glass & Optical Materials Division Annual Meeting
and Deutsche Glastechnische Gesellschaft Annual Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
6th Advances in Cement-based Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
11th CMCEE: International Conference on Ceramic Materials and
Components for Energy and Environmental Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
feature
Why did it break? 38 years of
teaching fractographers how
to answer the question
Credit: G. Quinn and J. Varner
columns
– page 32
Deciphering the Discipline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Kara Luitjohan
Engineering life lessons in emerging economies
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contents
AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY
bulletin
April 2015 • Vol. 94 No. 3
Editorial and Production
Eileen De Guire, Editor
ph: 614-794-5828 fx: 614-794-5815
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Editorial Advisory Board
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Finn Giuliani, Chair, Imperial College London
G. Scott Glaesemann, Corning Incorporated
John McCloy, Washington State University
C. Scott Nordahl, Raytheon Company
Fei Peng, Clemson University
Rafael Salomão, University of São Paulo
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American Ceramic Society Bulletin covers news and activities of the Society and its members, includes items of interest to the ceramics community, and provides the most current information concerning all aspects of ceramic
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ACSBA7, Vol. 94, No. 3, pp 1–56. All feature articles are covered in Current Contents.
2
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
news & trends
The 68th session of the United
Nations General Assembly declared
2015 as the International Year of Light
and Light-Based Technologies (IYL
2015)—a global initiative to spread
awareness of the ways optical technologies promote sustainability and address
growing global challenges concerning
energy, health, and more.
According to the IYL 2015 website,
“In proclaiming an International Year
focusing on the topic of light science and its applications, the United
Nations has recognized the importance
of raising global awareness about how
light-based technologies promote sustainable development and provide
solutions to global challenges in energy,
education, agriculture, and health.
Light plays a vital role in our daily lives
and is an imperative crosscutting discipline of science in the 21st century. It
has revolutionized medicine, opened up
international communication via the
Internet, and continues to be central to
linking cultural, economic, and political aspects of the global society.”
The website offers resources on
photonics and its impact on energy,
economy, and the connected world as
well as a packed international schedule
of events designed to promote light and
light-based technologies.
Many of these modern-day technologies are integral to the work being done
at Clemson University’s Advanced
Materials Research Laboratory (AMRL)
and Center for Optical Materials
Science and Engineering Technologies
(COMSET), the latter headed by ACerS
member and Fellow John Ballato.
Several other ACerS members, including
Fei Peng and current ACerS president
Kathleen Richardson, also are COMSET
faculty.
Credit: Placbo; Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
International Year of Light puts spotlight on optics, photonics, and sustainable development
Optics are in the spotlight this year, thanks to the United Nations’ declaration of 2015 as
the International Year of Light and Light-Based Technologies.
According to the university, Clemson
is “uniquely positioned to support the
research, workforce development, and outreach needs of the light-based technology
industry.” It is in that day-to-day training
of tomorrow’s technology workers that a
year of celebration becomes a more immediate, moment-to-moment party for all.
“While we celebrate 2015 as the
International Year of Light, in reality,
every second of every day is a celebration
of light,” Ballato says in an email. “From
the lights that illuminate the room, to
the displays on our smart phones and
computer screens, to the bits of light
that speed through an optical fiber
enabling global communications and
ecommerce, light is ubiquitous and
necessary. And, like any technology, the
needs of tomorrow rapidly surpass the
successes of today and, so, continued
innovation is always essential.”
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
“Clemson’s small piece of this
$7.5-trillion annual global economic
engine focuses on enabling materials
and optical fibers—their compositions,
their structures, their performance, their
applications, and, most importantly,
their use as tools to train the next generation of pioneers,” he adds. n
Self-arching concrete bridge
spans new lengths
Engineers at Queen’s University
Belfast (Northern Ireland) have developed—and soon will install—the world’s
longest self-arching bridge. The prefab
concrete bridge is a flat-pack bridge,
named for its ability to be transported
flat to the installation site. When lifted
off a flatbed truck, flat-pack bridges use
gravity to self-assemble into an arch.
3
The latest, and longest, flat-pack bridge
consists of 17 one-meter-wide tapered
blocks of precast concrete. Each block
weighs 16 tons, for a total of 272 tons of
bridge-building concrete. The technology
behind this engineering feat is Macrete’s
FlexiArch system, which links the top
of the concrete blocks together with a
bonded flexible membrane.
“This innovative system is exceptional
as it is easily transported in flat-pack form
and then rapidly installed on site,” Macrete
project manager Abhey Gupta says in a
Queen’s University press release. “It is also
unique as its strength does not depend on
corrodible reinforcement, thus it should
have a lifetime of at least 300 years, whereas conventional bridges seldom achieve
their design life of 120 years.”
In comparison with a traditional bridge,
the FlexiArch system allows the structure
to be built much quicker and cheaper. It
also requires little maintenance, because
the bridge derives its strength from compression, eliminating the need for corrod-
Credit: Emma Martin at Story Contracting Ltd.; Macrete
news & trends
Macrete crew members supervise installation of a FlexiArch bridge at Pleasington in
Northern Ireland.
ible rebar—a big concern when it comes to
bridge maintenance.
The United Kingdom now has more
than 50 FlexiArch bridge installations.
The latest and longest bridge will be
installed near Portsmouth (Northern
Ireland) and will span 16 meters,
Business news
Solar-Tectic LLC to develop new
sapphire glass material in 2015
(solartecticllc.com)…Argonne partners
with industry on nuclear reactor work
(anl.gov)…Antimicrobial Corning Gorilla
Glass to be used in mobile pay terminals
(corning.com)…American Concrete
Institute launches tools for concrete
professionals (concrete.org)…ANH
Refractories rebranded as HarbisonWalker
International (anhrefractories.com)…
Guardian now offers health product declaration for glass products (guardian.
com)…HeidelbergCement to sell its North
American and UK building products business (heidelbergcement.com)…Harper
awarded contract for thermal processing
of advanced ceramic powders (harperintl.com)…Arkansas startup WattGlass
to develop nanoparticle coating for glass
(wattglass.com)…China Ceramics
announces launch of environmentally
friendly tile (cceramics.com)…Avure
opens isostatic pressing application cen4
ter in Sweden (industry.avure.com)…
Raytheon acquires Tucson drone maker
(raytheon.com)…Asahi ultra-lightweight
solar panel receives award (asahiglass.jp)…Corning acquires assets of
NovaSol (corning.com)…Alcoa opens
expanded wheels manufacturing plant
in Hungary (alcoa.com)…Washington
Mills debuts video on spent aluminum
oxide recycling (washingtonmills.
com)…Imformed provides information
to industrial minerals market (imformed.
com)…Morgan Advanced Materials offers
ceramic-to-metal feedthroughs and connectors (morganadvancedmaterials.
com)…Innovnano announces ISO 9001
certification (innovnano-materials.
com)…Carbolite Gero representation
in North America (carbolite.com)…
Materion Corporation realigns organization (materion.com)…Samsung plans
three-sided screen in new smartphone
(samsung.com) n
the farthest yet for a flat-pack bridge.
According to the release, the bridge
will be installed in less than a day using
a 200–300 ton crane and a specially
designed lifting beam. n
Corning developing scratchresistant glass that
rivals sapphire
According to accounts from Corning
Incorporated’s annual investors meeting
in New York City in February, the glass
giant is developing a scratch-resistant
glass that rivals the strength of sapphire.
CNET reports that Corning
announced work on the aptly named
Project Phire, a “developmental Gorilla
Glass-like composite” that “combines the
toughness of its Gorilla Glass smartphone
displays with a scratch resistance that
comes close to sapphire.” The announcement comes on the heels of the company’s
November Gorilla Glass 4 announcement,
and not long after Apple’s sapphire-screen
dreams crashed and burned.
In the CNET post, Corning Glass
Technologies president James Clappin
says, “We told you last year that sapphire
was great for scratch performance but
didn’t fare well when dropped. So, we
created a product that offers the same
superior damage resistance and drop performance of Gorilla Glass 4 with scratch
resistance that approaches sapphire.”
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
5
news & trends
Reports from Corning Incorporated’s
annual investors meeting indicate the company is working on a new scratch-resistant
display that rivals sapphire.
The technical details on Project Phire
are slim so far. “We are working on
a composite material that has Gorilla
Glass 4-like damage resistance and sapphirelike scratch resistance,” writes
Daniel F. Collins, vice president of
corporate communications, in an email.
“We expect to be able to commercialize
the new product later this year.”
In the meantime, the investors meeting was an opportunity for Clappin and
other Corning execs to highlight the company’s 2014 performance (optical communications and environmental technologies
were up 18% and 44%, respectively) and
2015 priorities (“positive momentum”),
which include an “unwavering” commitment to innovation, according to a
Corning news release.
That innovation has brought about
developments including the Iris glass
showcased at the 2015 Consumer
Electronics Show. The company says
that the glass can significantly reduce the
size of the average LCD TV, resulting in
a television with “outstanding transmission” that is “as thin as a smartphone.”
“2015 will be all about large-sized LCD
TVs,” Clappin says in the release. “This
segment of the display industry grew
more than 50% year over year on a unit
basis in 2014, and our analysis shows
that the average TV screen size is growing
more than 1 inch per year. Importantly,
every inch in screen-size growth equates
to about 150 million square feet of additional glass demand.” n
6
Americans think
that their country’s
achievements and
advancements in science are tops—but
when it comes to their
views on top issues
including climate
change and nuclear
power, their perceptions differ from the
views of scientists, says
a new report from the
Pew Research Center.
The study, based
on a pair of surveys
conducted in colThe American public and scientists have some consensus,
laboration with the
American Association but much discord, on important scientific issues.
• 72% say that funding for engifor the Advancement of Science, repneering and technology and basic scienresents the responses of 2,002 memtific research pays off, with an additionbers of the general public and 3,748
al 61% saying that those government
United States-based AAAS members.
funds are “essential” for progress.
According to the report, “Science
The American public and scientists
holds an esteemed place among citizens
and professionals. Americans recognize also believe that STEM education
in the U.S. is not up to par. Just
the accomplishments of scientists in
29% of the American public conkey fields and, despite considerable
sider U.S. K–12 STEM programs to
dispute about the role of government
be above average or the best in the
in other realms, there is broad public
world, and even fewer—a miniscule
support for government investment in
16%—of AAAS respondents agreed.
scientific research.”
Conversely, 46% of the scientists and
Key takeaways regarding thoughts
29% of the public said STEM learning
about science and its potential to solve
some of our biggest challenges include: offerings were below average.
The similarities mostly end there.
• 79% of adults believe access to
The disparity between the way the
better quality food, healthcare, and
environment through advancements in public views scientific issues and the
way scientists view them is great,
science has made life easier;
including a 51-point gap on whether
• More than half of U.S. adults say
the country’s scientific achievements are it is safe to eat genetically modified
foods (37% of Americans vs. 88%
the best (15%) or above average (39%)
of scientists) and significant gaps
compared to the rest of the world;
between opinions on climate change,
• 92% of AAAS respondents echo
the world’s growing population, nucleAmerica’s top spot among other indusar power, offshore drilling, fracking,
trial nations, with 45% declaring U.S.
and the U.S. space program.
scientific achievements the best in the
Read the full report at
world and 47% calling them above
pewinternet.org. n
average; and
Credit: Andrew Huff; Flickr CC BY-NC 2.0
Credit: Clifford Joseph Kozak; Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Pew study finds scientific concord and discord between
public and scientists
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Emerging Objects, an independent
group that specializes in 3-D printing
architecture and building components,
has developed the ceramic Cool Brick
that uses evaporative cooling to reduce
air temperatures. The cooling system
that inspires its 3-D printed ceramic
brick is not new, but the technology
that perfects it certainly is.
Evaporative cooling has been used
since at least 2500 B.C., when ancient
civilizations used vessels of water to
keep rooms cool. It is well suited for
hot, low-humidity climates and costs
far less than refrigerated air conditioning—as much as 80% less.
According to Emerging Objects’
website, Cool Brick designers Virginia
San Fratello and Ronald Rael were
inspired by the Muscatese evaporative
cooling window—part wood screen,
part water-filled ceramic vessel.
“Comprised of 3-D printed porous
ceramic bricks set in mortar, each
brick absorbs water like a sponge and
is designed as a three dimensional lattice that allows air to pass through the
wall. As air moves through the 3-D
printed brick, the water that is held in
the micropores of the ceramic evaporates, bringing cool air into an interior
environment, lowering the temperature using the principle of evaporative
cooling. The bricks are modular and
interlocking and can be stacked together to make a screen. The 3-D lattice
creates a strong bond when set in mortar. The shape of the brick also creates
a shaded surface on the wall to keep a
large percentage of the wall’s surface
cool and protected from the sun to
improve the wall’s performance.”
Although there is no mention of
plans to offer the technology to the
Credit: Emerging Objects
3-D printed ceramic brick
combats heat through
evaporative cooling
Emerging Objects’ 3-D printed ceramic
brick, Cool Brick, uses evaporative cooling
to cool structures.
public just yet, Cool Brick is currently
part of the San Francisco Museum
of Craft and Design’s “Data Clay:
Digital Strategies for Parsing the
Earth”—“the first public exhibition
to present the growing movement
of architects, artists, and designers
exploring the medium of ceramics
coupled with digital technologies.”
ACerS Corporate Member Tethon
3D sponsored the Cool Brick project. n
Will your idea be the
one that pops?
Harper helps companies custom engineer
thermal processes for the production of
advanced ceramics.
Let us help take your kernel of an idea from the lab to full commercialization.
harperintl.com
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
See us at Ceramics Expo, Booth 326
7
acers spotlight
Society and Division news
Welcome to our newest
Corporate Members!
ACerS recognizes organizations that
have joined the Society as Corporate
Members. For more information on
becoming a Corporate Member, contact
Megan Bricker at mbricker@ceramics.
org, or visit www.ceramics.org/corporate.
MemPro Materials Corporation
Broomfield, CO
www.mempro.com
Varshneya to receive Michigan/NW Ohio Section Award
The American Ceramic Society’s Michigan/NW Ohio Section has
honored Arun Varshneya, professor emeritus of glass science and
engineering at Alfred University and president and CEO of Saxon
Glass Technologies Inc. (Alfred, N.Y.), with its 2015 Toledo Glass &
Ceramic Award.
Presentation of the award, which recognizes distinguished scientifVarshneya
ic, technical, or engineering achievements in glass and ceramics, will
take place April 9 at the Toledo Club, Toledo, Ohio. A social hour
with cash bar begins at 6 p.m., and the dinner and award presentation, which will
include Varshneya’s remarks on “Strengthened Glasses,” will begin at 7 p.m.
An ACerS Distinguished Life Member and Fellow, Varshneya served as ACerS
treasurer and held offices in the Northern Ohio Section and Glass and Optical
Materials Division.
For more information or to make a reservation, contact Janet Bailey at [email protected] or 248-348-6585, or Fred Stover at [email protected],
by April 6. n
Southwest Section to hold June meeting
Inopor GmbH
Veilsdorf, Germany
www.inopor.com/en/
Mark your calendars for the 2015 meeting of the Southwest Section of The
American Ceramic Society, June 3–5, 2015, at the Radisson Hotel Fossil Creek
in Fort Worth, Texas. The program, “Training a New Generation of Ceramic
Employees,” will include industry plant trips and technical sessions. A companions’
program for families with children also will be offered. Registration information will
be available soon at ceramics.org. n
What's new in ancient glass research?
Explore glass's past and present
during this one-day workshop
hosted by ACerS Art, Archaeology,
and Conservation Science Division
in conjunction with the American
Institute for Conservation.
Members: Test drive ACerS–Wiley
Download Direct program
ACerS–Wiley Download Direct program
puts Wiley's comprehensive online library
of journal articles at your fingertips each
month. To take the program for a spin and
download your free article, visit ceramics.org.
Not a member? Join now and enjoy
this and the many other benefits of
ACerS individual, corporate, and student membership. n
Register at ceramics.org before
April 10 to save.
In memoriam
May 17, 2015 | 8:30 a.m. – 5:20 p.m.
Hyatt Regency Miami
Alfred J. Carsten
Samuel Moore
Edward E. Mueller
Xiangchong Zhong
Some detailed obituaries also can be
found on the ACerS website,
www.ceramics.org/in-memoriam.
Credit: Vlasta2; Flickr; CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
8
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Award deadlines
April 1, 2015
Du-Co Ceramics Scholarship Award
This $3,000 scholarship is awarded to an undergraduate student
pursing a degree in ceramics or materials science.
Du-Co Ceramics Young Professional Award
This $1,500 honorarium is awarded to a young professional
member of ACerS who demonstrates exceptional leadership
and service to ACerS.
May 15, 2015
Glass and Optical Materials Division’s Alfred R. Cooper Scholars Award
This $500 award encourages and recognizes undergraduate
students who have demonstrated excelence in research,
engineering, or study in glass science or technology.
May 15, 2015 (cont.)
Electronics Division’s Edward C. Henry Award
This award is given annually to an author of an outstanding paper
reporting original work in the Journal of the American Ceramic
Society or the Bulletin during the previous calendar year on
a subject related to electronic ceramics.
Electronics Division’s Lewis C. Hoffman Scholarship
The purpose of this $2,000 tuition award is to encourage academic
interest and excellence among undergraduate students in
ceramics/materials science and engineering. The 2015 essay
topic is “Electroceramics for telecommunications.”
Additional information and nomination forms for these awards can
be found at ceramics.org/awards, or by contacting Marcia Stout at
[email protected].
ACerS members save more.
For members-only discounts, including savings of up to 34% on shipping, join now at ceramics.org.
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American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
9
acers spotlight
Students and outreach
Micrographs highlight artistic science in University of Connecticut Keramos competition
by Sapna Gupta
Although the microscopist must be logical and methodical, microscopy is truly an art form. To highlight some of the
beautiful research done at the University of Connecticut, the
UConn chapter of Keramos, with the support of the Center
for Clean Energy Engineering, recently hosted a micrograph
contest open to undergraduate and graduate students within
the university.
Students submitted images that used techniques ranging from
stroboscopy to atomic force microscopy. UConn Institute of
Materials Science microscopists Roger Ristau and Lichun Zhang
and professor Bryan Huey judged submissions on artistic and
technical merit, and the top three entries received cash prizes.
First place went to Sourav Biswas and David Kriz for their
micrograph of copper-doped mesoporous manganese oxide,
“Brain in Jar.” Yang Guo won second place for her stroboscopic image of jetting printer ink. Paiyz E. Mikael received third
place for her image of a composite scaffold for load-bearing
bone regeneration.
UConn Keramos thanks all students for their participation,
judges for their wisdom and expertise, and the Institute of
Materials Science, Center for Clean Energy Engineering, and
Materials Science and Engineering department for their support.
First place:
Sourav Biswas
and David Kriz,
Ph.D. candidates,
Department of
Chemistry
“Brain in Jar”
depicts a sample
of copper-doped
mesoporous manganese oxide synthesized by inverse
micelle soft-templated techniques.
The students captured the material’s
porous networks in
the “brain” image
with a Zeiss DSM 982 Gemini field emission scanning electron
microscope with a Schottky emitter at an accelerating voltage of
2.0 kV and a beam current of 1.0 mA. The bell jar was photographed using a digital SLR camera and the composite image created using GIMP and Adobe Lightroom.
10
Second place:
Yang Guo,
Ph.D. candidate,
Polymer Program,
Institute of
Materials Science
Inkjet printing is an additive
manufacturing
method providing high-speed
versatility in
materials with the capability of creating complex structures.
However, most functional materials are non-Newtonian fluids
whose behavior is complicated at the operating frequency. Here,
Guo correlated jetting behavior with liquid properties to understand the fundamentals of inkjet printing and develop empirical
models for complex fluids. The image captures a liquid jet traveling at 1 m/s using stroboscopy, which allows high temporal and
spatial resolution without expensive high-speed cameras.
Third place:
Paiyz E. Mikael,
Ph.D. candidate,
Materials Science
and Engineering,
Institute for
Regenerative
Engineering
Mikael’s
image represents
a composite scaffold designed
for load-bearing
bone tissue
regeneration.
Each microsphere is
composed of
poly(85% lactic-co-/15% glycolic)-acid (PLGA) and functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes thermally sintered into
3-D matrices. Multiwall carbon nanotubes improve mechanical properties of PLGA scaffolds and contribute to calciumion nucleation and growth. n
UConn chapter of Keramos
President: Sapna Gupta
Secretary: Alan Harris
Vice president: Austin McDannald Herald: Chen Jiang
Treasurer: Nasser Khakpash
Chapter advisor: Prabhakar Singh
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
PCSA accepting applications
for 2015–2016 class
ACerS heats up Science Night with demos
that showcase science’s ‘cool’ side
The President’s Council of Student
Advisors (PCSA) seeks dedicated and
motivated undergraduate and graduate
students who are eager to help promote ceramics and participation in The
American Ceramic Society.
PCSA is ACerS student-led committee to engage students as active and
long-term leaders in the ceramics community as well as to increase participation in ACerS at the local, national, and
international levels.
Interested students should visit
ceramics.org/pcsa and click on the “Apply
for PCSA” link to complete an application by the April 15, 2015, deadline. n
ACerS recently participated in the
Cherrington Elementary School Science
Night, located near the Society’s headquarters in Westerville, Ohio.
Our volunteers got to show off the
"cool" side of science, making ice
cream with liquid nitrogen, candy
fiber pull, refractory brick, and superconductivity demos—all of which are
available in the Materials Science Kits
and free lessons developed by the
PCSA, available for purchase at
ceramics.org.
Thanks to David Riegner (left) and
Derek Miller (right), graduate students
at Ohio State University, for helping with
this excellent outreach opportunity.
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ceramics in energy
Glass electrodes to shatter the
lithium-ion battery world
Researchers at ETH Zurich are among
the many looking for new materials that
can make better batteries for tomorrow’s
energy needs.
The team has found that vanadate–
borate glass (made of vanadium pentoxide and lithium metaborate) coated with
graphite oxide can make better cathodes
that may be able to double battery capacity. Most lithium-ion batteries used today
have cobalt oxide cathodes.
An ETH Zurich press release explains
the challenge with vanadium pentoxide
in the new cathodes.
“In crystalline form, vanadium
pentoxide can take three positively
charged lithium ions—three times more
than materials presently used in cathodes, such as lithium iron phosphate.
However, crystalline vanadium pentoxide cannot release all of the inserted
lithium ions and allows only a few stable
charge/discharge cycles. This is because
once the lithium ions penetrate the crys12
OPV leaves make
1 m2 of active solar
panel surface that
generates 3.2 A
of electricity with
10.4 W of power
at Mediterranean
latitudes.”
The team recognizes that the OPV
panels are not as
efficient as their silicon counterparts,
but the market for
such offerings is
“emerging.” Also,
the organic materials used in the pan- A leaf-shaped printed solar cell, which soon may be able to
els can be recycled. provide form and function.
The researchers
five times better” and cost about onecurrently are exploring how their rolltenth the price—and report that early
to-roll method might translate to the
testing has been “promising.” n
development of inorganic perovskite
solar panels—which perform “roughly
talline lattice during the loading process, 30 to 100 charge/discharge cycles.
The researchers continue to explore
the lattice expands. As a result, an electhe glass and plan to patent the material
trode particle swells as a whole, i.e., it
with Belenos (Switzerland), their partner
increases in volume only to shrink again
and collaboration company.
once the charges leave the particle.”
The paper, published in Scientific
To overcome these challenges,
Reports,
is “New high capacity cathode
researchers made the material into a
materials
for rechargeable Li-ion batglass, bypassing the crystal lattice probteries:
Vanadate–borate
glasses” (DOI:
lems altogether. The scientists melted
10.1038/srep07113).
n
vanadium pentoxide and lithium
metaborate powders at
900°C and rapidly cooled
the material to form glass
in thin sheets. Crushing
the sheets into a fine powder provided a material
with additional surface
area and pore space.
The team then coated
the powder with graphite
oxide, forming a protective layer with increased
conductivity. Adding
graphite oxide significantly increased the elec- A new glass material shows promise for making better
cathodes that may double battery capacity.
trodes’ stability from
Credit: Rob Nunn; Flickr CC BY 2.0
Using a method of mass production
based on roll-to-roll printing, a team of
scientists at VTT Technical Research
Centre (Finland) is printing decorative
and flexible organic photovoltaic (OPV)
solar panels.
According to a VTT news release,
the method can produce a roughly
0.2-mm-thick decorative solar panel
that includes a layer of electrodes and
a layer of polymers. The panel can be
included in windows, walls, machinery,
equipment, and billboards. The process
is fast and prints in mass—screen or gravure—printing at about 100 m/min of
layered film.
“Until now, it has only been possible
to pattern OPV panels into a form of
stripes,” states the release. “The research
scientists have tested the feasibility of
the method by printing leaf-shaped photovoltaic cells. Active surface of one leaf
is 0.0144 m2 and includes connections
and a decorative part. Two hundred
Credit: Antti Veijola; VTT Technical Research Centre
Decorative and flexible OPV panels make solar power pretty
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Silicone-encased baking soda
balls offer potential carbon
capture technique
ACerS Fellow, member, and awardee
Jennifer A. Lewis is pioneering new
technologies to combat rising greenhouse gas levels. Lewis, the Hansjörg
Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired
Engineering at Harvard’s School of
Engineering and Applied Sciences,
co-led a team of scientists at Harvard
University and Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory that has devised
microencapsulated sorbent materials for
carbon capture and sequestration.
The new materials absorb carbon
dioxide more cheaply, safely, and energy-efficiently than current strategies.
“Microcapsules have been used in a
variety of applications—for example, in
pharmaceuticals, food flavoring, cosmetics, and agriculture—for controlled delivery and release, but this is one of the
first demonstrations of this approach for
controlled capture,” Lewis says in a
Harvard Gazette article.
The team’s new approach
bypasses expensive or hazardous
substances, instead finding inspiration from the kitchen—sodium
carbonate (a.k.a., baking soda) is the
key ingredient.
The scientists call their new techMicroencapsulated sorbent materials may
nique microencapsulated carbon
provide a better means of carbon capture.
sorbents (MECS), a way of packagplatform,” Lewis says. “It is also quite
ing the sorbent materials into small
flexible, in that both the core and shell
round beads. Lewis’s team produced
chemistries can be independently modiMECS using a double-capillary microfied and optimized.”
fluidic assembly. The device had the
Scientists are now tweaking the
advantage of being able to precisely conwork
to bring it to scale. If successful,
trol each component of the material—“a
MECS
also may be able to help other
carbonate solution combined with a
carbon-spewing
industries, including
catalyst for enhanced CO2 absorption,
cement
and
steel
production, become
a photo-curable silicone that forms the
more
green.
capsule shell, and an aqueous solution,”
The paper, published in Nature Comaccording to the news release.
munications,
is “Encapsulated liquid sor“Encapsulation allows you to combine
bents
for
carbon
dioxide capture” (DOI:
the advantages of solid-capture media
10.1038/ncomms7124).
n
and liquid-capture media in the same
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American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
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13
Credit: Torsten Hofmann; Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
ceramics in the environment
ceramics in the environment
Efforts to curb concrete’s carbon
footprint are steps in the right direction, but an improved process that
increases cement manufacturing’s
efficiency while reducing spent energy
could be key in reducing emissions even
further, say Rice University researchers.
The work, led by ACerS member and
Rice assistant professor Rouzbeh Shahsavari and former graduate student Lu
Chen, began with examining clinker as
it cooled after coming out of the kiln.
Shahsavari and Chen looked at the
crystal and atomic structures during
the five phases of cooling. They then
were able to hone in on the stresses and
defects that make some clinker more
brittle than others, and, thus, easier
to grind. One of these “unavoidable”
defects—a screw dislocation—is present
in clinker pregrinding and postgrinding,
14
Credit: Shahsavari Group; Rice University
Crushing clinker at its
hottest provides energy and
emissions savings
This cutaway illustration shows screw dislocation, a defect present even after clinker
is ground.
and has a direct impact on how well the
ground powders will react with water.
The researchers found that the hottest clinkers were the most brittle and
most reactive.
“Defects form naturally, and you cannot do anything about them,” says Shahsavari in a Rice news release. “But the
more brittle the clinkers are, the better
they are for grinding. We found that the
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
An new dimension
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NanoEye
An new dimension
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initial phase out of the kiln is the most
brittle and that defects carry through
to the powder. These are places where
water molecules want to react.”
According to the release, Shahsavari
and the team believe their analysis could
help manufacturers “consolidate processes
and cut grinding energy,” which would
mitigate the estimated 10%–12% of grinding energy that is absorbed in cement
making as well as the accompanying 50 kg
of CO2 sent into the atmosphere.
The paper, published in ACS Applied
Materials and Interfaces, is “Screw dislocations in complex, low symmetry oxides:
Core structures, energetics, and impact
on crystal growth,” (DOI: 10.1021/
am5091808). n
Salmon sperm could prove key
to cheaper rare earth recycling
Japanese researchers say that salmon
sperm might be key in recycling rare
earths. According to a Chemistry World
article, a team led by the University of
Tokyo’s Yoshio Takahashi found that
the sperm (milt) of salmon could effectively replace the more costly and less
environmentally friendly methods used
to recover rare-earth elements from electronic and magnetic waste.
Their work, published in PLoS ONE, is
not the first to rely on fish sperm. Milt—
which is plentiful, insoluble, and readily
discarded by Japan’s fishing industry—contains phosphate, particularly effective for
extracting rare-earth metals.
To put that rare-earth attraction to
work, the team created a powder from
the milt and dropped it into a waterbased solution with three metals—neodymium, dysprosium, and trivalent
iron—found in magnets.
According to the report, “When the
milt powder was added to the solutions,
they discovered that metal ions had a
high affinity for phosphate in the powder. The rare-earth elements were subsequently recovered from the milt powder
using acid and centrifugation.”
But some believe that the work,
although impressive, could prove problematic in scaling up.
“The idea of relying on cheap salmon
milt to adsorb and separate rare-earth
elements from iron in scrap magnets
is quite interesting and, although the
proposed protocol does not suppress
dissolving the magnets in strong acid,
it deserves attention,” says Jean-Claude
Bünzli of the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology, Lausanne, in the report.
The paper is “Recovery and separation of rare-earth elements using
salmon milt” (DOI: 10.1371/journal.
pone.0114858). n
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American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
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research briefs
Researchers at North Carolina State
University have pioneered a new imaging method that allows them to peer
into a material’s atomic organization to
precisely map the location of distortions,
a unique perspective for probing how
those tiny variations in crystallographic
address affect material properties.
The team of scientists led by NC
State materials science and engineering professors Doug Irving and James
LeBeau closely examined the placement
of atoms within lanthanum strontium
aluminum tantalum oxide (LSAT), a
hard, optically transparent perovskite
structure oxide developed as a ceramic
superconductor substrate.
“We knew where the atoms were on
average, but we also knew that there were
variations in a material—there can be
significant displacements, where atoms
don’t fit into that average pattern,” says
Irving in an NC State press release.
“However, detecting these distortions
required indirect methods that could be
difficult to interpret, so we couldn’t fully
explore how a material’s atomic structure affects its properties,” LeBeau says
Research News
The quest for efficiency in
thermoelectric nanowires
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories
say better materials and manufacturing
techniques for thermoelectric nanowires could
allow carmakers to harvest power from the
heat wasted by exhaust systems or lead to
more efficient devices to cool computer chips.
The researchers used a method called “roomtemperature electroforming,” which allowed
them to tailor key factors that contribute to
better thermoelectric performance—crystal
orientation, crystal size, and alloy uniformity—
with a single process. Electroforming deposits
the material at a constant rate, which, in turn,
allows nanowires to grow at a steady rate. The
method produced wires 70–75 nm in diameter
and many micrometers long. The team made the
nanowires from antimony–bismuth alloy, which
had maximum thermoelectric performance
when electroformed from an antimony chloride16
Credit: J. LeBeau; NC State
Revolving STEM divulges material’s atomic secrets
A model of the atomic structure and electron distribution in a crystal of lanthanum strontium aluminum tantalum oxide.
in the release. “Now we’ve come up with
a way to see the distortions directly, at
the atomic scale. We can create a precise
map of atomic organization, including
the distortions, within a material. Not
only which atoms fit into the structure,
but how far apart they are, and how
distortions in the structure are related to
the chemistry of the material.”
The scientists used a method
pioneered by LeBeau called revolving scanning transmission electron
based chemistry. The next step is to make
an electrical contact and study the resulting
thermoelectric behavior. For more information,
visit sandia.gov.
Sensors revealed better selectivity to certain
gases because of the electron energy bandgap
in molybdenum disulfide. The uniqueness of
the sensors is use of low-frequency current
fluctuations as an additional sensing signal.
Conventionally, such chemical sensors use only
change in electrical current through the device
or a change in resistance of the device active
channel. For more information, visit ucrtoday.
ucr.edu.
Researchers build atomically thin gas
and chemical sensors
A team of researchers led by engineers at the
University of California, Riverside has developed
another potential application for molybdenum
disulfide materials: sensors. The researchers
built the atomically thin gas and chemical
vapor sensors from molybdenum disulfide and
tested them in collaboration with researchers
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The devices
have 2-D channels, which are suitable for sensor
applications because of the high surface-tovolume ratio and widely tunable concentration
of electrons. The researchers demonstrated
that the sensors, which they call “molybdenum
disulfide thin-film field-effect transistors”,
can selectively detect ethanol, acetonitrile,
toluene, chloroform, and methanol vapors.
Controlling the properties of water
molecules on metal oxides
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory
are learning how the properties of water
molecules on the surface of metal oxides
can be used to better control these minerals,
which are used to make products such as
more efficient semiconductors for organic
LEDs and solar cells, safer vehicle glass in fog
and frost, and more environmentally friendly
chemical sensors for industrial applications.
The team of researchers studied cassiterite,
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS
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microscopy (STEM) to closely examine the placement of atoms
within LSAT.
The revolving STEM technique overcomes distortions caused
by drift, or minute sample movement, during nanoscale imaging.
By rotating the direction of each scan, the technique can, in the
end, eliminate sample drift in STEM and provide a clearer, more
accurate picture of the material’s atomic structure. Researchers
capture images of distortion from several approaches, which
allows them to apply algorithms and remove the drift effect.
With drift effects eliminated, the scientists were able to see
complex bonds within LSAT and how outside factors, such as
local variations in chemical environment, affected those bonds
and led to distortions in the material lattice.
According to the release, “the researchers found that the
weaker chemical bonds that hold lanthanum and strontium
in place in LSAT’s atomic structure made them more susceptible to being pushed or pulled by small variations in their
chemical environment.”
The scientists hope that this unique tool will provide a vantage point that will help them understand—and predict—how
atomic organization dictates a material’s properties.
“Now that we can see these subtle distortions, and know
what causes them, the next step is to begin work to understand
how these structural differences affect specific properties,” LeBeau says in the release. “Ultimately, we hope to use this knowledge to tailor a material’s properties by manipulating these
atomic distortions.”
The paper, published in Applied Physics Letters, is “Direct
observation of charge mediated lattice distortions in complex
oxide solid solutions” (DOI: 10.1063/1.4908124). n
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a representative of a large class of isostructural oxides. The team used
neutron scattering to help understand the role that bound water plays
in the stability of cassiterite nanoparticles and to learn more about the
bound water’s structure and dynamics. “We show that water sorbed on the
nanoparticles, which naturally happens when they are exposed to normal
humid air, prolongs their lifetimes as nanomaterials, thus prolonging their
potential environmental impacts,” says coauthor David J. Wesolowski.
The work captured the structural ordering of surface-bound water on
cassiterite nanocrystals and provided evidence that strong hydrogen bonds
drive water molecules to dissociate at the interfaces, resulting in a weak
interaction of the hydrated cassiterite surface with additional water layers.
For more information, visit ornl.gov.
New solder for semiconductors creates possibilities
A team led by researchers at the University of Chicago has demonstrated
how semi-conductors can be soldered and continue to deliver adequate
electronic performance. “We worked out new chemistry for a broad class
of compositions relevant to technologically important semiconductors,”
says Dmitri Talapin, a professor of chemistry. Talapin and colleagues from
the University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory, and Illinois Institute
of Technology have developed compounds of cadmium, lead, and bismuth
that can be applied as a liquid or paste to join two pieces of a semiconductor
by heating them to several hundred degrees Celsius. “Our paste or our
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
See us at Ceramics Expo, Booth 210
17
research briefs
ACerS member James Rondinelli, a
materials science and engineering professor at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering, and his
research group are studying how to adjust
the electronic bandgap in complex oxides
by simply adjusting a material’s properties, rather than its overall composition.
A material’s bandgap dictates its
properties and, thus, its potential applications. The gap is the amount of energy
needed for an electron in a semiconductor to move from a bound state to a free
state—from a valence band to a conduction band. In the conduction band,
electrons can conduct energy. Bandgaps
are especially important, because they
dictate how a material harvests and converts light and, thus, a material’s solar
energy capabilities.
“There really aren’t any perfect
materials to collect the sun’s light,”
Rondinelli says in a Northwestern press
release. “So, as materials scientists,
we’re trying to engineer one from the
bottom up. We try to understand the
structure of a material, the manner in
which the atoms are arranged, and how
Credit: Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering
Engineering bandgaps for next-generation complex oxides
Atomic structure of a layered oxide material designed by James Rondinelli’s
research group.
that ‘genome’ supports a material’s
properties and functionality.”
Rondinelli’s team uses quantum
mechanics calculations to figure out how
to change a material’s bandgap by examining how the layers within an oxide
interact with one another.
liquid converts cleanly into a material that will be compositionally matched
to the bonded parts, and that required development of new chemistry,”
Talapin says. After application as a liquid or paste, the materials
decompose to form a seamless joint. Semiconductor soldering is unlikely
to have a major impact on mainstream silicon technology, but could lead
to the development of less expensive, solution-processed semiconductors
needed for entry into new markets, such as printable electronics, 3-D
printing, flat panel display manufacturing, solar cells, and thermoelectric
generators. For more information, visit newswise.com.
Semiconductor works better when hitched to graphene
Experiments at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National
Accelerator Laboratory looked at the properties of materials that combine
graphene with a common type of semiconducting polymer. They found
that a thin film of the polymer transported electric charge even better
when grown on a single layer of graphene than it does when placed on a
thin layer of silicon. Although it was widely believed that a thinner polymer
film should enable electrons to travel faster and more efficiently than a
thicker film, the team discovered that a polymer film about 50-nm thick
conducted charge about 50 times better when deposited on graphene
than the same film about 10-nm thick. The team concluded that the
thicker film’s structure, which consists of a mosaic of crystallites oriented
at various angles, likely forms a continuous pathway of interconnected
crystals. This, they theorize, allows for easier charge transport than in
18
“Today it’s possible to create digital
materials with atomic level precision,”
Rondinelli says in the release. “The
space for exploration, however, is enormous. If we understand how the material behavior emerges from building
blocks, then we make that challenge sur-
a regular thin film, whose thin, platelike crystal structures are oriented
parallel to the graphene layer. By better controlling the thickness and
crystalline structure of the semiconducting film, it may be possible to
design even more efficient graphene-based organic electronic devices.
For more information, visit slac.stanford.edu.
New paperlike material could boost electric vehicle batteries
Researchers at the University of California have developed a novel
paperlike material for lithium-ion batteries. It has the potential to boost
by several times the specific energy, or amount of energy that can be
delivered per unit weight of the battery. This paperlike material is
composed of spongelike silicon nanofibers more than 100 times thinner
than human hair. The nanofibers were produced using electrospinning and
were exposed to magnesium vapor to produce the spongelike silicon fiber
structure. Silicon normally suffers from significant volume expansion,
which can quickly degrade the battery, but the silicon nanofiber structure
allows hundreds of battery cycles without significant degradation.
This technology also solves the problem of scalability: Free-standing
materials grown using chemical vapor deposition can be produced only in
microgram quantities, but the new technique allows lab-scale production
of several grams of silicon nanofibers at a time. The researchers’ future
work involves implementing silicon nanofibers into a pouch-cell-format
lithium-ion battery, which can be used in electric vehicles and portable
electronics. For more information, visit ucrtoday.ucr.edu.
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Shaker - Mixer
mountable and meet one of the greatest challenges today—functionality by design.”
Rondinelli’s team’s simulations controlled interactions between
layers of complex oxides, specifically between neutral and charged
layers. Tuning the arrangement of cations tuned the material’s
overall bandgap without altering the material’s composition.
The team’s computations showed that they could adjust the
oxides’ bandgap by more than 2 eV. Conventional methods to
tune band gaps—which also require adjusting a material’s composition—can change the bandgap by only about 1 eV, according to
the press release. The next challenge is to test the computations
with experiments.
“You could actually cleave the crystal and, at the nanometer
scale, see well-defined layers that comprise the structure,” Rondinelli says in the release. “The way in which you order the cations
on these layers in the structure at the atomic level is what gives
you a new control parameter that doesn’t exist normally in traditional semiconductor materials.”
Adjusting the bandgap means new properties for the material,
opening the possibility for engineering future materials to be
more precisely fine tuned to specific applications.
“The finding could potentially lead to better electrooptical
devices, such as lasers, and new energy-generation and conversion
materials, including more absorbent solar cells and the improved
conversion of sunlight into chemical fuels through photoelectrocatalysis,” according to the release.
The paper, published in Nature Communications, is “Massive
bandgap variation in layered oxides through cation ordering,”
(DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7191). n
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Perfect colors, captured with one ultrathin lens
A new type of lens created at Harvard University turns conventional optics
on its head—it is an ultrathin, completely flat optical component made of a
glass substrate and tiny, light-concentrating silicon antennas. Light shining
on it bends instantaneously, rather than gradually, while passing through.
The bending effects can be designed in advance, by an algorithm, and
fine-tuned to fit almost any purpose. With this new invention, the Harvard
research team has overcome an inherent drawback of a wafer-thin lens:
Light at various wavelengths (i.e., colors) responds to the surface very
differently. Now, instead of treating all wavelengths equally, the flat lens
has antennas that compensate for the wavelength variations and produce
a consistent effect. Most significantly, the new design enables the creation
of two flat optical devices. The first, instead of sending various colors in
various directions like a conventional grating, deflects three wavelengths
of light by exactly the same angle. In the second device, the three
wavelengths can be focused at the same point. A flat lens, thus, can create
a color image—focusing, for example, red, green, and blue, the primary
colors used in most digital displays. The team’s computational simulations
also suggest that a similar architecture can be used to create a lens that
collimates many wavelengths, not just three. For more information, visit
seas.havard.edu. n
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
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Call for Contributing
Editors for aCErs-nist
PhasE Equilibria
diagrams Program
Professors, researchers,
retirees, Post-docs, and
graduate students ...
The General Editors
of the reference series
Phase Equilibria Diagrams
are in need of individuals
from the ceramics community to critically evaluate
published articles containing
phase equilibria diagrams.
Additional contributing editors
are needed to edit new phase
diagrams and write short commentaries to accompany each phase
diagram being added to the reference
series. Especially needed are persons
knowledgeable in foreign languages
including German, French, Russian,
Azerbaijani, Chinese, and Japanese.
rECognition:
The Contributing Editor’s initials will
accompany each commentary written
for the publication. In addition,
your name and affiliation also will be
included on the Title Pages under
Contributing Editors.
qualifiCations:
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research briefs
Silicon carbide’s ‘superiority’
makes for promising substitute
in high-performance sensors
Researchers at the Queensland Microand Nanotechnology Centre at Griffith
University (Australia) have shown that
silicon carbide’s “superiority” in notso-superior conditions makes the compound a promising substitute for silicon
semiconductors in devices with mechanical and electrical sensors.
The work, published in Journal of
Materials Chemistry C, was led by Dzung
Dao, senior lecturer at Griffith’s School
of Engineering.
According to a university press
release, Dao and QMNC colleagues
grew the silicon carbide on 6-in. silicon
wafers at low temperature, generating
p-type nanocrystalline SiC. They were
able to demonstrate—for the first time—
the effect of mechanical strain on SiC’s
electrical conductivity.
The paper’s abstract states that the
researchers measured the gauge factor to
be 14.5, “one order of magnitude larger
than that in most metals.” The results
suggest that SiC’s mechanical strain
strongly influences its electrical conductance, a characteristic that makes the
researchers hopeful about the material’s
future uses in specialty situations.
“Over the past 50 years, silicon has
been the dominant material used as a
semiconductor for sensing devices and
that continues today in computers,
mobile phones, automobiles, and more,”
says Dao in the release. “However, silicon is not suitable for electronic devices
at high temperatures above 200°C due
to the generation of thermal carriers and
junction leakage. Silicon carbide, on the
other hand, possesses excellent mechanical strength, chemical inertness, thermal
durability, and electrical stability due to
its unique electronic structure.”
“In areas where the temperature can
reach well above 200°C, chemical corrosion and mechanical shock are extreme.
That’s where silicon carbide comes in,”
he continues. “Silicon carbide is already
used in power electronics, and these
results are very encouraging for sensor
technology, particularly in harsh working environments.”
The findings could prove beneficial to
a host of industries, including mining,
aerospace, automotive, and biomedical,
the university says.
The paper is “The effect of strain on
the electrical conductance of p-type nanocrystalline silicon carbide thin films,”
(DOI: 10.1039/C4TC02679A). n
ComPEnsation PEr artiClE:
$80 for commentary & first diagram, plus
$20 each second & third diagrams, plus
$10 for each additional diagram
for dEtails PlEasE ContaCt:
Credit: Michael Jacobson; Griffith University
Mrs. Kimberly Hill
National Institute of Standards
and Technology
100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8520
Building 223, Room A107
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8524, USA
301-975-6009
[email protected]
Dzung Dao, senior lecturer at Griffith University’s School of Engineering.
20
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
!
NEW
Telescopic contact lenses and wink-controlled
eyeglasses that magnify ‘on demand’ could aid the
visually impaired
According to the World Health Organization, there are an
estimated 285 million visually impaired people around the
world whose vision issues cannot be corrected with contact
lenses or glasses.
A new telescopic contact lens and its accompanying winkcontrolled smart glasses, developed by scientists at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland), might be able to bring
about better, stronger vision.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)funded contact lens includes a thin reflective telescope that can
magnify 2.8 times. At just 1.55-mm thick, the telescopic scleral
lens works by housing small mirrors that reflect light, “expanding the perceived size of objects and magnifying the view, so it’s
like looking through low-magnification binoculars.” The newest
prototype also has 0.1-mm-wide air channels that allow oxygen to
reach the cornea.
“Although large and rigid, scleral lenses are safe and comfortable
for special applications and present an attractive platform for technologies such as optics, sensors, and electronics like the ones in the
telescopic contact lens,” states the release.
“We think these lenses hold a lot of promise for low-vision
and age-related macular degeneration (AMD),” says the devices’
developer Eric Tremblay, researcher at EPFL, in a university news
release. “It’s very important and hard to strike a balance between
function and the social costs of wearing any kind of bulky visual
device. There is a strong need for something more integrated,
and a contact lens is an attractive direction. At this point this is
still research, but we are hopeful it will eventually become a real
option for people with AMD.”
Tremblay says that image quality and oxygen permeability will
be ongoing challenges in making the lens a real option for the
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American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
21
research briefs
Atomic locales are critical for
strong concrete
New research from ACerS member
Rouzbeh Shahsavari, a researcher at Rice
University, shows how simulations can
help advance the quest for better concrete.
Shahsavari and colleague Saroosh
Jalilvand computationally examined the
interactions of atoms within a structurally complex material, using concrete as an
example, to see how atomic interactions
affect the material’s mechanical properties. In addition to concrete, the team’s
work could help improve other noncrystalline materials, such as ceramics, sands,
powders, grains, and colloids, according
to a Rice University press release.
Cement—calcium silicate hydrate (C-SH)—acts as the glue that holds concrete
together. Previous research by MIT scientists revealed that cement is not quite
crystalline and not quite amorphous—it
is ordered somewhere in between.
22
Credit: Shahsavari Group
visually impaired, but improvements to
its mechanics and manufacturing have
things looking up.
In addition to a scleral lens, the
group’s wink-controlled glasses provide
“on demand” magnification—transforming the glasses between unmagnified and
telescopic vision—that would be useful
even for those without AMD.
The electronic glasses employ a light
source and light detector to “recognize
winks and ignore blinks.” A right-eyed wink
means magnify; a left-eye wink will bring
about normal, or unmagnified, vision.
“The glasses work by electronically
selecting a polarization of light to reach
the contact lens. The contact lens allows
one type of polarization in the 13 aperture and another in the 2.83 aperture.
Thus, the user sees the view where the
polarization of the glasses and contact
lens aperture match.”
The glasses, along with the telescopic
contact lens, “represent a huge leap
in functionality and usability in vision
aid devices and a major feat for optics
research,” says the university. n
Computer simulation of a calcium silicate hydrate (cement) tip sliding across a smooth
tobermorite surface.
Although heterogeneity makes the
material strong, it also makes it hard to
predict how interactions within the material affect its overall properties. According
to Shahsavari, the forces between the
atoms are critical for the concrete’s overall strength and fracture properties.
“Understanding interparticle interactions is of paramount importance when
it comes to mechanics of particulate
materials such as cementitious materials
or ceramics,” Shahsavari explains in an
email. “This work, for the first time, put
an atomistic ‘lens’ to decode the interplay between chemistry and mechanics
for complex interfacial interactions of
cementitious materials. As such, the
work introduces exciting new opportunities to better understand the true origin
of ‘friction’ and ‘contact’ in these materials and thus be better positioned to tune
the mechanical properties of particulate
systems. For instance, by identifying the
relative importance and quantitative
contribution of each atom type to the
frictional properties, our works suggest
that new processing routes are required
to put the right elements at the interfaces of the particles, rather than putting
them inside the particles or randomly
distributed in the mix.”
The researchers created a computational model of concrete’s microstructure, modeling rough C-S-H and
smooth tobermorite (a calcium silicate
hydrate mineral).
In this virtual world, the researchers
dragged a virtual tip of C-S-H across a
tobermorite surface, measuring the correlation between the force of the push
and the corresponding displacement of
atoms. A video that shows this simulation is available at http://youtu.be/
iH9Jd3TProY.
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Batch
Hot Press
Continuous
The simulations correctly predicted the fracture toughness of
tobermorite, which has been previously measured—indicating to
the researchers that they were on the right path—and helped provide insight into cementitious mechanics.
“What we discovered is that, besides those common mechanical roughening techniques, modulation of surface chemistry,
which is less intuitive, can significantly affect the friction and,
thus, the mechanical properties of the particulate system,” Shahsavari says in the press release.
The release continues, “Shahsavari said it’s a misconception
that the bulk amount of a single element—for example, calcium
in C-S-H—directly controls the mechanical properties of a particulate system. ‘We found that what controls properties inside
particles could be completely different from what controls their
surface interactions,’ he said. While more calcium content at
the surface would improve friction and thus the strength of the
assembly, lower calcium content would benefit the strength of
individual particles.”
“This may seem contradictory, but it suggests that to achieve
optimum mechanical properties for a particle system, new synthetic
and processing conditions must be devised to place the elements in
the right places,” Shahsavari adds.
The researchers also found that in between molecules of
C-S-H, van der Waals attractions were more significant than
Coulombic (electrostatic) forces.
The paper, published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces,
is “Molecular mechanistic origin of nanoscale contact, friction,
and scratch in complex particulate systems” (DOI: 10.1021/
am506411h). n
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American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Ceramitec15_Aussteller_82x123_E.indd 1
09.09.14 23
17:01
Credit: Ceramco
Growth in
advanced ceramics
market fueled by
new applications
By April Gocha
A
dvanced ceramics have attractive
properties—including resistance to
corrosion, heat, impact, and chemical attack—
that make them competitive in a variety of
markets, namely those comprising electronic
components, transportation equipment, electrical equipment, chemicals, machinery, and
medical products.
Recent technological advances have allowed manufacturers
to produce finer and more consistent nanoscale-sized ceramic
powders. Small particles improve powder binding and allow
deposition of thinner, more uniform coatings, translating into
higher performance of finished ceramic components. The cover
article of this issue features one such company, Ceramco, that
manufactures custom parts using ceramic injection molding of
high-quality powders. To embark on a “plant tour” of Ceramco’s
facilities and processes, turn to page 26.
Processing advances have taken the advanced ceramics market
to new heights, and the materials compete aggressively with nonceramic materials in a variety of markets. Market analysts from
research company The Freedonia Group (Cleveland, Ohio) predict market demand for advanced ceramics in the United States
alone—which already surpasses $10 billion—will increase 5.1%
per year to reach $13.6 billion in 2017.1
The top eight advanced ceramics manufacturers in the
U.S.—Kyocera, 3M, CoorsTek, Murata Manufacturing, Vishay
Intertechnology, Corning, Vesuvius, and NGK Insulators—analyzed
in a recent Freedonia report secured 24% of the market in 2012.
Although the U.S. advanced ceramics market is competitive, Japan
historically has led the industry and remains a key producer and
exporter of advanced ceramic products, particularly electronic components, such as ceramic capacitors and piezoelectric devices.
Although advances in numerous areas and industries drive
the market’s upward trend, above-average growth in the medical,
transportation, and machinery markets will impact growth of the
advanced ceramics market most significantly.
24
New applications for bioceramics, including dental implants,
orbital eye implants, prosthetic components, and orthopedic
implants, account for growing demand in the medical market
because of the materials’ wear resistance and biocompability.
Ceramics’ superior wear resistance also makes them well suited
for harsh and demanding manufacturing environments, for
example, in the machinery market.
In the transportation sector, more stringent efficiency and
emission standards will continue to drive demand for advanced
ceramics, with applications in vehicle ceramic filters, catalyst supports, and engine parts. Ceramic-matrix composites also are integral to the transportation market and represent one of the fastest-growing advanced ceramic product markets. Market analysts
predict ceramic-matrix composites will experience a compound
annual growth rate of 13.81% through 2019, when the market
will reach a value of $2.40 billion. The aerospace industry represents a significant proportion of this demand, alone accounting
for $1.01 billion of the 2019 ceramic-matrix composite market.2
Despite the explosive growth of ceramic-matrix composites,
however, monolithic ceramics remain the most significant class
of advanced ceramics and account for almost 81% of current
market demand. Ceramic-matrix composites hold 6.5% of the
advanced ceramics market, with ceramic coatings accounting for
the final 12.5%.
After experiencing a peak in 2007, the defense market for
advanced ceramics is predicted to remain depressed consequent
to U.S. troop withdrawal and military surpluses. Future growth
of the market is expected to depend on ballistic applications,
such as helmets and armor.
Alumina is the material of choice for advanced ceramics
and commands 38% of the total U.S. market. And, although
zirconates are in much less demand—just 10% of the U.S.
market—than alumina, growing use in medical applications is
expected to make zirconates the fastest growing material market
for advanced ceramics.
Electrical and electronic parts and catalyst supports are the
two highest in-demand advanced ceramics products. Together,
these products carry more than a third of the total growth forecasted in the advanced ceramics market through 2017. Demand
for electronic and electrical parts is predicted to grow at an
annual rate of 3.3%, while catalyst supports are expected to see
4.1% annual growth.
Continuously improving properties and manufacturing advances will push advanced ceramics markets to grow as applications for
these versatile materials expand. See the opposite page for an infographic of some of the key figures and statistics from the advanced
ceramics market. For more information, visit Freedonia’s 2013
industry report, “Advanced ceramics,” at www.freedoniagroup.
com/industry-study/3091/advanced-ceramics.htm.
Sources
The Freedonia Group, “Advanced ceramics.” 2013. www.freedoniagroup.com/industry-study/3091/advanced-ceramics.htm
1
Markets and Markets, “Ceramic-matrix composites market by type, by
application, and by region—Trends and forecasts to 2019.” 2014. www.
marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/ceramic-matrix-compositesmarket-60146548.html n
2
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
25
Credit: Ceramco
Fully automated high-pressure injection molding of complete ceramic parts.
bulletin
cover story
Near net shaping of
ceramic components—
‘Plant tour’ of a
custom manufacturer
By Thomas O. Henriksen
Automated near net shaping of custom ceramic parts
saves time, material, and energy.
26
C
ontract manufacturers of customized ceramic parts face tangible
challenges. In the spirit of continuous
improvement, those of us in mature markets always are looking for ways to reduce
delivery lead times and cost. Machining
post-fired, high-hardness materials is costly
and chews away at already squeezed delivery
lead times. The impact of energy cost always
is a consideration. For example, pressing
ceramic powder into a bulk shape and then
machining it down to final form consumes
energy. Machined-away material that ends
up in the dust collector represents a loss of
the material and the energy it took to make
it—from raw material through firing. Thus,
there are practical and economic drivers
for shaping ceramic components as close to
final form as possible and minimizing the
postfired operations.
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Capsule summary
ECONOMIC DRIVERS
APPROACH
Key point
Manufacturing ceramic components consumes
Ceramic injection molding allows for near net
Successful near net shaping of ceramic compo-
material and energy and creates an economic
shaping of almost any ceramic formulation
nents by ceramic injection molding starts with
driver for improving efficiency. Near net shaping
across a wide range of complex geometries.
careful formulation of ceramic powders and
forms parts as close to final dimensions as pos-
Automation improves manufacturing efficiency.
binders, as well as design and crafting of cus-
sible and minimizes post-firing processes.
tomized tooling. Diamond grinding achieves final
dimensions in the critical areas of parts with
tight dimensional tolerance specifications.
Growing importance of technology
Near net shaping (NNS) is an established process. Early approaches to NNS
date back to iron casting in the 1620s
followed by steels after 1850 and light
alloys in the 1940s. Plastic injection
molding was developed in the 1920s,
and the first plastic parts were produced
in the 1930s after the invention of polyethylene in 1933. Besides metals and
polymers, engineering materials such as
Portland cement, refractories, cermets,
and fused silica were being formed
to near net shape during the 1930s.
Combining injection molding with powder metallurgy led to powder injection
molding (PIM). Delco first used injection molding to form ceramic spark plug
insulators in the 1940s after securing a
patent on the process in 1938.
The same manufacturing evolution
experienced by the metals and plastics
industries in the 20th century is now transforming ceramic component manufacture. Ceramic parts can be manufactured
by many techniques. Pressing, casting
and extruding likely always will have a
place in the NNS of ceramic components,
especially for simple geometries, such as
plate and rod stock. These are considered to be the core, traditional ceramic
manufacturing technologies. Pressing,
from a NNS viewpoint, means the die or
tooling allows for complete forming of
the entire shape. Adding binders to starting powder gives green, pressed compacts
enough structural integrity to be handled.
However, press-forming NNS components that include holes, slots, interior
diameters, and outside diameters—while
not impossible—is extremely difficult.
Therefore, as part geometry becomes
more complex, molding and casting
become process considerations.
Although variants of earlier pressing
and extrusion NNS techniques (especially isostatic pressing) will continue,
complex ceramic shapes will require
efficiencies achievable with casting
or ceramic injection molding (CIM)
methods. Slower than pressing, NNS by
casting lends itself to making complex
shapes, especially components that
are large or have thick walls. Casting
involves pouring or injecting liquid
slurry into a mold. After solidification, the shape is removed and fired.
Variations of this process include
gelcasting, freeze casting, 3D casting,
and slip casting. Low-pressure injection
molding can be considered casting too,
making shapes in fictile materials with
virtually no pressure forces. In higher
quantities, cost effectiveness diminishes
when economies of scale are factored
into the equation, such as labor and
time it takes to make product.
Similar to pressing, CIM begins with
ceramic powder. The material is injected
into a die or tool cavity with pressure
and heat to melt the binder and fuse the
material together. The starting shape has
gross dimensions larger than specifications to compensate for shrinkage during firing and densification. After firing,
the ceramic component is fully densified
and at its final size (net dimensions).
The result is a near-net-shaped component. Achieving “near-net” dimensions
requires process control and precision.
As the term implies, although there is a
target dimension, the objective is to be
as “near” to target as possible after firing
and within acceptable tolerances. The
intended application and design parameters of the component often dictate just
how closely it is possible to achieve near
net shape.
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Living in an era of energy awareness,
however, focuses bright new light on its
promise for contract manufacturers of
custom ceramic components. Ceramic
powders require energy to mine and
prepare for industrial processing, so
why waste any during the forming step?
NNS can provide an efficient means to
produce shapes with the least amount of
energy and material waste, in a shorter
amount of time.
Most often, economics determine
which NNS process is best for manufacturing a particular ceramic component. Factors to consider include time
(manufacturing speed), materials, and
tolerances. At present, pressed parts
own the lion’s share of the market. A
well-run press is fast and efficient, and
it can press parts of high-quality ceramic powders (alumina, zirconia, silicon
carbide, etc.). However, pressing is
limited to manufacturing components
with simpler geometries.
Powder metallurgy processes are finely
tuned and can achieve very near net
shapes. In particular, PIM parts made
with powder blends, such as tungsten
carbide with cobalt binder, are very
near specified net shape. Similarly,
CIM under tightly controlled process
conditions, dialed-in tooling, perfected
binder–powder system, etc., performs
just as accurately.
Even with such dimensional accuracy
now achievable via CIM and NNS, the
ceramic component industry tends to
offer a wider tolerance window, by a few
standard deviations. Typically, as-fired
tolerances for ceramic parts are quoted
to be ±1%. As technology and experience improves, tolerances likely will
become tighter.
27
Credit: Ceramco
Near net shaping of ceramic components—‘Plant tour’ of a custom manufacturer
Figure 1. Tooling for ceramic injection
molding must be custom built for each
part design and material combination.
Onto the factory floor
To demonstrate NNS of ceramics,
join us on a tour of our NNS operation
at Ceramco (Center Conway, N.H.; see
sidebar, p. 31). Ceramco manufactures
custom ceramic parts for aerospace, scientific instrumentation, energy, medical,
and wire/cable industries. On this brief
“plant tour,” we will focus on the plant’s
CIM facilities and explain the many considerations that must be appraised in a
custom manufacturing business.
Raw materials
Ceramic powders, such as alumina,
zirconia, mullite, silica, magnesia, yttria,
and special blends, generally are stored
in a ready-to-mix state, although some
minor powder processing such as sifting
and jar milling, is done before batching. The customer, as original designer
(OEM) or user of the part, typically
Circuit coverlid - Alumina
28
specifies material requirements, such
as alumina purity level, for which there
are standard formulations. Additionally,
unique formulations and customersupplied powders contribute to the product mix. All raw materials are mixed in
batches and standard compositions, such
as high-alumina formulations, to make a
wide variety of parts.
Depending on the type of powder
and binder (which carries the powders),
we select one of four industrial mixer
machines to make feedstocks. Coarsegrained powders incorporate into binder
differently from fine-grained powders.
Various binder types have a range of
melting temperatures and shear sensitivities, and, therefore, the machine used
depends on the feedstock formulation.
The process is much like something
done in a kitchen, with a recipe for
combining critical amounts of ingredients. Powder selection and the ability to
control additives provides versatility and
enhances process control. Therefore, this
is a major advantage over depending on
outside sources to process powder and
make feedstocks. Almost any ceramic
powder can be made into a feedstock—
oxides, carbides, nitrides, and borides.
Compounding of ceramic powders is
integral to making ceramics. It requires
an “industrial kitchen” of mixers and
mills, a “recipe book” on powder
technology, and years of experience
to learn to do it correctly. Ceramco
belongs to The Association of American
Ceramic Component Manufacturers
(AACCM, see sidebar, p.29), a trade
association for powders-to-parts manufacturers. Processing from a powder
is a requirement for membership in
AACCM, which currently comprises
Bobbin for aerospace
Detector component for
homeland security
18 like-minded member companies, all
experts in their own NNS methods and
formulations. Processing parts from powders is more profitable for companies
and demands disciplined adherence to
ceramic science principles, which is an
advantage to customers. Every successful
ceramic NNS technology depends on it.
CIM tooling
During the quotation process for new
parts, the ceramic material and the plan
for tooling (which is made in-house)
are determined (Figure 1). The product
life, quantity needed, and quality details
factor into the plan. Net-shaping molds
are made of aluminum, tool steel, and/
or carbide by our expert moldmaker. In
rare and very special circumstances hard
rubber also is a candidate material for
the molds.
Customers provide, at the minimum,
a 2-D drawing to design tooling for a
part of simple geometry. As geometries
become more complex, a 3D model file
is preferred. The 3-D files can be fed
directly into computer numerical control
(CNC) machine centers to make the
most accurate mold shape.
In addition to simplifying toolmaking, 3-D files often illustrate the part in
its assembly. This visual communication
of the part's requirements is absolutely
critical for production planning, especially the tooling design stage. Engineers
review parting lines, gate locations, draft
angles, and ejector pin locations that are
necessary for the mold to work and compare against the design to avoid interference with fit or function.
The ability to produce tooling is
advantageous. New tooling, despite
our experience, sometimes requires
Heater core
Octahedron high pressure
synthesis chemistry
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
adjustments. (In ceramics manufacturing, Murphy’s Law always applies!)
Whether those adjustments are minor
or major, the ability to make and
maintain molds in-house is more economical and timely and enables tighter
control of dimensions. Tooling wears
and loses accuracy as it is cycled and,
because customers pay for their custom-made molds, the in-house tooling
capability is a valuable asset.
Molds made of aluminum last for
10,000 cycles and cost less. Therefore,
new low-volume and new prototype
parts often are made first from unit cavity aluminum tooling. Multiple cavities
to NNS mean more parts in the same
tooling set can be added later when
usage volumes increase or to decrease
cycle times. Value in tooling made with
New Hampshire frugality of “don't
make it any more than it needs to be”
benefits the customer and defeats the
prejudice that injection-molding tooling
has to be expensive.
In general, CIM parts are small and
should be designed with uniform wall
thicknesses (although we can stretch
the rules and make large parts or design
combinations of thick and thin walls).
In addition, process limitations exist.
Part features, such as undercuts and
negative draft, can be very challenging
for toolmaking, because the net-shaped
ceramic must be removable from the
mold cavity. Special techniques, such as
green or postfire machining, or employing collapsible cores in the mold, can
get around these limitations, but these
add expense. A mature product with
such added complexities can tolerate the
additional investment and the associated
lead time, although adapting designs to
be CIM friendly is the best policy.
When the order is complete what
happens to the tooling? In most cases,
the customer pays for it separately and,
therefore, owns it. However, tooling is
engineered for use with our technology and generally is not transferrable to
other manufacturers.
NNS by molding
What happens after preparing feedstock and building tooling depends on
the product. Each injection-molding pro-
cess uses equipment requiring feedstock
and tooling specifically designed for it.
In general, the feedstock is added to the
injection-molding machine, which in
turn injects it into the molding tooling
where the part is near-net shaped.
The geometry of the finished component and the quantity ordered by the
customer most often determine the manufacturing process to achieve the NNS.
Short production runs of up to 10,000
pieces, for example, generally are made by
low-pressure injection molding (LPIM).
Longer production runs of 50,000 pieces
or more generally employ high-pressure
injection molding (HPIM). Orders of very
small quantities may be manufactured
using hand or stack molds.
Larger, complex HPIM orders often
require automated tooling, having pins,
slides and cores moving in an intricate
sequence to produce one NNS component at a time. Less complex HPIM
shapes often can be made in multiples
by injecting feedstock in many cavities
at once, reducing production time.
Other factors that the manufacturer
must consider when choosing the
process to use include the material,
dimensional precision and other quality
specifications, including product life
cycle and part design.
Secrecy
Manufacturers have an innate propensity to be secretive. In the case of
ceramists, secrecy may trace back to
the 1600s when Europeans formulated
their own version of highly sought
Ming Dynasty hard porcelain and processed their fine pottery under a cloak
of secrecy.
Like Medieval ceramic manufacturers, much of the “trick of the trade” in
ceramic manufacturing today remains
undisclosed. CIM components are
chemically and thermally processed
to arrive at a fully fired ceramic component. In Ceramco’s experience, the
degree of progress made in ceramic
manufacturing technology is a function
of how quickly we embrace new world
machinery and techniques (replacing
the old) to meet the demands for 21st
century ceramic materials. However, we
still have our secrets!
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Figure 2. Circle gates are used for cylindrical parts and break off when the parts
eject from this six-cavity CIM tool. All
runners and sprues are reclaimed and
molded into parts.
Firing
Production staff load green parts
into high-temperature kilns and fire in
batches. Our facility has electric kilns,
with open-air and nitrogen-purged
chambers, routinely heated to 1,700°C.
Some parts are prefired or bisque-fired
The Association of American Ceramic
Component Manufacturers (AACCM) is a
trade organization for manufacturers of
technical or advanced ceramic products
for heat, corrosion, wear, electrical, and
electronic applications. Membership is
open to U.S.-based companies that form
finished or semifinished ceramic parts from
raw powders. Its mission is “to advance the
capabilities of the members and the quality
of their products, so that they may satisfy
the emerging needs of American industry.
This will be accomplished by addressing
concerns relative to market requirement,
raw material supply, and fabrication.”
The Association of American Ceramic Component Manufacturers currently comprises
18 member companies. For more about
AACCM, visit aaccm.org.
29
Figure 3. Cooled-down kiln car loaded with fired fuse insulators
formed by CIM.
30
Figure 4. Magnified visual inspection of final parts to detect
flaws inside holes and other hidden areas.
grinding wheels, which makes it an
expensive process. Also, aggressive
removal of material can inflict surface
stresses and introduce microcracks that
weaken the part. Therefore, only the
areas of the component that are critical
to function are ground. Doing so also
minimizes labor investment and tool
replacement costs.
Quality assurance
Fully fired parts are measured for
dimensional accuracy and visually
inspected for defects. Liquid dye penetration tests reveal hairline cracks and
open porosity, making them visible to
the inspector's eye. We use practical
and ergonomic vision scopes (Figure 4)
to inspect parts under magnification,
especially inside holes and other hidden
areas of parts. Most orders are processed
in batches using qualified tooling, allowing us to rely on process control and
sample checking to ensure product consistency and acceptance.
Parts for use under vacuum and highpressure environments are inspected
using special test jigs and gauges,
depending on the critical features.
Applying air pressure or vacuum and
submerging the parts in fluid will expose
any leaks when inspecting high-voltage,
deep-water, or semiconductor chamber
parts. Customers provide mating components to check fit and compatibility with
the ceramic parts, as shown in Figure 5.
Sometimes customers require some
assembly or mating work to be done.
Other quality considerations include:
• Surface finish, although ultimately
a function of the particle size of the start-
Credit: Ceramco
by ramping slowly and not reaching the
sintering temperature, getting them to
a “brown” stage, where they remain soft
for easy removal of tooling marks, mold
flash, and parting lines. Figure 3 shows a
kiln car loaded with fired fuse insulators.
These parts are large, about 8 inches
long by 1.5 inches tall.
Every material has its own firing
schedule, and every part has specific
firing requirements. Special setters support odd-shaped parts during firing. To
keep net shapes shrinking uniformly,
the kiln needs to heat uniformly from
all the heating elements and dissipate
heat evenly. Also, the particle size of
the starting powders needs to be right.
Materials with special additives need
to be separated from other materials to
avoid cross-contamination or unwanted
chemical reactions. Thus, the firing team
carefully selects appropriate furnace
plates and even heating element types.
Ceramco has 25 independent kilns,
which enables us to process all orders at
any time, regardless of product mix.
Parts with complex geometries formed
by NNS methods have their highest
value if the as-formed dimensions are
“accurate enough.” However, sometimes tolerance specifications are tighter
than “near-net” dimensions. Hard-fired
ceramics with tight tolerances must be
diamond ground for the last step. But
not too much! These machine tools are
retrofitted with diamond-impregnated
Credit: Ceramco
Credit: Ceramco
Near net shaping of ceramic components—‘Plant tour’ of a custom manufacturer
Figure 5. Finished ceramic fuse insulator formed by CIM. The foreground piece shows
complex geometry achievable by NNS with slots, holes and walls of varying thickness.
The background piece shows the ceramic piece with the metal fuse fitted inside. The
part dimensions are 8 inches long x 2 inches wide x 1.5 inches high.
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
ing powder, also is a function of tooling
surface character.
• Precision of as-fired net-shaped
dimensions (i.e., how near are to the
net) in general is ±1%, although it can
be as good as ±0.3%, depending on
tooling, equipment, feature size, and
geometry.
• Quantities range from hundreds
to hundreds of thousands. The production tooling is scaled to match the order
quantity. Prototypes and short orders
use low-cost molds, and high-volume
orders use hard, multicavity tooling with
appropriate degrees of automation in
part handling.
New, competing technologies
Challenges for the future include
competing technologies that are capable of fabricating complex geometries,
such as 3-D printing, robocasting, and
selective laser sintering. These tech-
nologies are exciting because of their
ability to make geometries that cannot be injection molded, for example,
undercut features.
All shaping processes influence the
properties of ceramic parts, and, therefore, their usefulness for applications.
These new technologies are no exception. Currently, they cannot demonstrate adequate bulk density or consistent surface quality. Strength also is an
issue. CIM parts have no relic structures
in the ceramic body. As a result, high
bulk densities are achieved.
Practicality also must be considered.
Thick parts would take a long time to
manufacture, producing one layer at a
time using 3-D printing, regardless of the
technology’s advancement. It remains to
be seen whether high-volume 3-D manufacturing will be more economical than
traditional forming techniques.
About the author
Thomas O. Henriksen is president of Ceramco, Inc., and president
of AACCM. Contact Henriksen at
[email protected].
Selected references
M.F. Ashby, Materials Selection in Mechanical
Design, 2nd ed. Butterworth, Boston, 1999.
N.P. Bansal and A.R. Boccaccini, Ceramics
and Composites Processing Methods. Wiley, New
York, 2012.
G.Y. Onoda Jr. and L.L. Hench, Ceramic
Processing before Firing. Wiley, New York, 1978.
R.M. German, Powder Injection Molding—
Design and Applications. Innovative Material
Solutions, 2003.
R. Cass and T.O. Henriksen, “A Gateway
into Ceramics,” Ceram. Ind., June 2011.
“Tungsten Carbide—An Overview,”
International Tungsten Industry Association,
2 Baron's Gate, 33 Rothschild Road,
London, W45HT, U.K n
Ceramco—A history of serving demanding niche markets
In 1982, Danish scientist and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ph.D. Anders F. Henriksen
settled in Chatham, N.H., and founded a consulting firm, Chatham Technology. Less than a
year later, he adapted powder metallurgy methods to ceramic part fabrication and founded
Ceramco Inc. to manufacture custom ceramic
components using low-pressure injection molding. The business carved a niche for making
unique, complex parts of high-purity alumina,
zirconia, and other refractory ceramics.
Ceramco’s niche business grew for the next
15 years, serving an increasing number of industries, to produce custom parts of increasing
complexity for extreme environment applications. The ability to make functional internal
and external threads for custom orders created
a captive business manufacturing stock-sized
ceramic nuts and bolts.
To produce parts with tighter tolerances, Ceramco partnered with, and eventually acquired,
a diamond-grinding shop. In 1997, Ceramco
built a new 10,000 square foot facility to house
the newly acquired grinding capability and the
growing manufacturing enterprise. The expansion provided an opportunity to improve overall
operational efficiency.
Over time, Ceramco saw growing demand
for high-volume, yet geometrically complex,
ceramic parts. In 2008, the company acquired
high-pressure injection molding (HPIM) technology to meet the challenge. This decision opened
opportunities for Ceramco to pursue new
industries and markets.
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Today, Ceramco’s full-service manufacturing
capabilities focus exclusively on near-net-shape
ceramic component fabrication. n
31
B
Why did it break?
38 years of teaching
fractographers how to
answer the question
by George Quinn and James Varner
rittle materials are prone to catastrophic fracture with little or
no plastic deformation and often no warning. Fortunately, brittle fracture leaves clear
patterns and surface markings that provide
a wealth of interpretable information. In
many respects, fractographic analysis of
ceramics and glass is easier and can produce
more quantitative information than fractographic analysis of metals or polymers. In
fact, fractographic analysis of brittle materials can answer many practical problems:
Why did it break? Did it break as expected or
from an unexpected cause? Was there a problem
with the material or was the part simply overloaded or misused? What was the stress at fracture?
Was the laboratory strength test successful or was
there a misalignment?
The late Van Derck Fréchette first taught a three-day summer short course in 1977 on fractography of glasses and
ceramics at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred
University, where he was a professor (Figure 1). This course,
with substantial updates, has been offered every summer since
and is almost always fully subscribed—a remarkable run for a
topical short course that attests to a continuing need to interpret why things break. The hands-on course explains mechanisms that produce fracture markings and emphasizes information the markings provide. The course also stresses the role of
fracture analysis in failure prevention, or ensuring mechanical
reliability. Alfred will offer the 2015 course, “Failure analysis
and failure prevention of glasses and ceramics,” June 15–19,
with instructors George Quinn and Jim Varner. This article
describes how the course has changed over time to reflect
increased knowledge in the field and a growing understanding
of the key role fractography plays in achieving high mechanical
reliability of glass and ceramic products.
Credit: G. Quinn and J. Varner
The early course
Figure 1. Van Derck Fréchette.
32
Fréchette had such expertise in fractography of glasses and
ceramics that he was in demand as a consultant for companies
and product liability cases. He had amassed a large collection
of broken component pieces (glass bottles, ceramic insulators,
flat plates, tubes, rods, etc.). He also had led undergraduate
and graduate research projects focused on fundamental aspects
of fracture in glass and ceramic materials, such as slow crack
growth, effects of inclusions on crack propagation, relationships
between failure stress and the number of fragments, and crack
healing. These experiences allowed Fréchette to think a great
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Credit: G. Quinn and J. Varner; Alfred U.
deal about nomenclature in the field and
to determine the steps needed to conduct
objective failure analysis of broken glass
and ceramic pieces—he knew that the
time was right to teach others how to conduct fractographic investigations.
The hallmark of Fréchette’s first short
course, and something that remains
central to today’s version, is hands-on
demonstration and observation of actual
specimens (Figure 2). Each student has a
stereographic light microscope and light
source that he or she uses to examine fracture markings and crack patterns in specimens that have been carefully selected to
highlight particular phenomena (Figure 3).
The course teaches not only what to
look for (the patterns and markings), but
also how to look. Instructors pass around
unique specimens, which are available
throughout the course, for participants to
examine. Students sometimes break and
examine specimens, or prepare and examine replicas of fracture surfaces. Fréchette
and the present instructors understand
that there is no substitute for observation—newcomers to fractography need to
experience firsthand the effects of lighting on fracture surfaces and the critical
importance of correct illumination to see
and interpret fracture markings.
Another key feature of Fréchette’s
high-speed wind flow around the building,
course that is preserved today is the case
or Venturi effects, that sometimes knocked
study. Fréchette, a great storyteller, had
pedestrians off their feet. Quinn personfascinating tales that were both interestally observed these effects from the street
ing and enlightening. One of his more
below—with a wary eye towards the loomnotable tales was the broken windows in ing glass above—after he left engineering
Boston’s John Hancock building. During classes at Northeastern University at the
its construction in the 1970s, the buildtime. The sometimes hurricane-force winds
ing’s new windows cracked and had
caused the building to twist and sway, so
to be replaced—and were covered with
many suspected these alarming movements
temporary plywood sheets in between—so were the source of the glass fractures.
frequently that the
building became
known as the “U.S.
Plywood Building”
or the “Plywood
Palace.” The building’s ill-fated original
windows were some
of the first ever produced that were both
doubled-layered and
used reflective glass,
which had just been
developed in the preceding decade.
The building had
another interesting
Figure 3. Participants in one of the Alfred fractography short
design element: Its
courses—including the late Janet Quinn, who became an expert
tall, thin, rhombohe- in dental ceramics fractography, in the foreground—each with a
dral design created
stereographic light microscope to examine specimens.
Capsule summary
Background
Approach
Summary
Shards of fractured glass and ceramic materi-
New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred
Although Alfred’s fractography course has
als contain clues that tell the story of their
University has offered a short course on frac-
evolved to reflect changes in ceramic and glass
failure. Fractography is the art and science of
tography of glasses and ceramics continuously
materials and their applications since it was
assembling the clues to reveal how the service
since 1977.
initially offered, the course continues its tradition
environment led to failure.
of teaching through hands-on observation and
extensive case studies.
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
33
Credit: Credit: G. Quinn and J. Varner; Alfred U.
Figure 2. Participants in one of the Alfred fractography short courses. Note the many specimens on the front bench.
Why did it break? 38 years of teaching fractographers how to answer the question
Credit: Tim Sackton; Flickr CC BY-SA 2.0
ponent failed. Participants
learn by “looking over the
shoulders” of experienced
fractographers.
Fréchette’s course notes
led to publication of his
book, Failure Analysis of
Brittle Materials2, which
became a standard reference after its publication
in 1990. More recently,
George Quinn authored
NIST Recommended Practice
Guide: Fractography of
Ceramics and Glasses,3
which is now a standard
reference in the field, too.
However, Fréchette’s book
still has relevance and
includes some fascinating case studies, such as
“Tale of Two Teapots,”
“The Fatal IV Bottle,”
and “Engarde!,” a case in
which a broken glass meat
thermometer damaged
the wrist of a nationallyranked fencer.
In the last case, a glass
Figure 4. The John Hancock Building in Boston, Ma.
meat thermometer broke
when inserted into a rolled roast of beef.
Although there were many theories
It failed at a notch used to secure the
as to why the fractures occurred (wind
temperature scale, from which a long
loading, nickel sulfide inclusions, etc.),
sliver of glass broke free. Scientists reenFréchette discovered that the source of
acted the scenario on a testing machine,
the fractures were tiny “glue chip” cracks
which confirmed the mode of failure
near the outer edges of the glass panes
but revealed that the thermometer broke
where they were bonded together by a
under high force. The fencer testified
lead strip soldered to bridge the panes
that she was upset and in a hurry at the
together.1 With repeated thermal and
time, and that she had forcefully jabbed
mechanical loading, the glue chips grew
the thermometer into the roast. This
and caused the huge windows to break.
Eventually, the building’s entire façade of action produced a much higher load on
the glass than foreseen by the manufac10,344 panes of double-layered reflective
turer, causing the thermometer to fail.
glass had to be replaced, at great cost,
with thick, single-layered glass (Figure 4).
At the time, Fréchette had to be disMoving forward
crete in describing the matter since there
When Fréchette retired from teaching
was significant litigation. Nevertheless, he the course in 1995, Quinn and Varner
shrewdly arranged to have a clause placed agreed to take it over. The instructors
in his contract that, although he could
expanded the amount of material on
not write publicly about the failures, he
technical ceramics (fine-grained polycryscould use the case for teaching purposes.
talline ceramics) and quantitative fractogToday, course instructors still draw on
raphy (Figure 5). Over time, Quinn and
their own extensive experience to present
Varner added more on fracture mechancase studies to reinforce the steps that
ics, strength and fracture-toughness testneed to be taken to determine why a com- ing, Weibull statistics, single crystals, and
34
reliability. Quinn and Varner also added
new demonstrations and specimens (e.g.,
specimen reconstruction, replicas, and
slow-crack growth) and introduced new
tools and techniques. With these additions, the course expanded to four and—
most recently—five days.
In today’s course, instructors have
evolved the curriculum to match the
evolving applications and types of glasses
and ceramics. For example, attendees
used to be concerned with fractures in
large glass cathode ray tubes used in
televisions, but these are now historical
relics. Attendees now are concerned with
thin, flat plates used in all types of mobile
electronic devices (Figure 6). Participants
now discuss applications such as glass
containers used in the pharmaceutical
industry, ceramics used in energy-related
systems, glass–ceramics, dental ceramics,
and single-crystal components.
The present course gives participants
the tools they need to practice fractography of glasses and ceramics. Participants
receive extensive and intensive exposure
to the field through lectures, discussions,
and ample hands-on experience, similar
to Fréchette’s original course. Specimens
and demonstrations provide an experience base that participants can build
upon when they return to their home
organizations. Participants often bring
specimens from their own work that the
instructors examine with them in afterclass sessions. Following the course, participants are able to apply fractographic
principles to increase mechanical reliability of ceramic and glass components.
Course participants range from technicians to process engineers to scientists
in research and development and hail
from all over the United States and
the world (including Germany, Brazil,
New Zealand, Poland, and France).
Instructors constantly review the field
and incorporate new material that
reflects changes in materials, products,
knowledge, and topical interests.
References
V.D. Fréchette and M. Donovan, "Some
effects of the 'glue chipping' process on
strength"; pp. 407–11 in Fractography of
Glasses and Ceramics II, eds. V.D. Fréchette
and J.R. Varner. The American Ceramic
1
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No.3
Credit: Credit: G. Quinn and J. Varner; Alfred U.
Credit: Credit: G. Quinn and J. Varner; Alfred U.
Figure 5. Specimens like this silicon nitride test bar broken in
flexure help familiarize course participants with fracture surfaces of fine-grained ceramics, which are more difficult to interpret than glass fracture surfaces because of the complications
of microstructure. The fracture origin is on the lower edge,
about halfway between the center of the bar and the left side.
Figure 6. The fracture surface of a glass bar shows the fracture origin and mirror, with several types of fracture markings. This specimen familiarizes course participants with the appearance of fracture surfaces of flat plates broken in flexure, and it also is used to
practice measuring fracture mirrors and estimating stress at failure
using the size of the fracture mirror and the fracture mirror constant.
Society, Westerville, Ohio, 1991.
About the course
V.D. Fréchette, Failure Analysis of Brittle Materials:
Advances in Ceramics, Vol. 28. The American
Ceramic Society, Westerville, Ohio, 1990.
Alfred University will offer the 2015
course, “Failure analysis and failure
prevention of glasses and ceramics,”
June 15–19. For more information, visit
http://engineering.alfred.edu/shortcourses/fracture.cfm.
2
G.D. Quinn, NIST Recommended Practice Guide:
Fractography of Ceramics and Glasses. Special
Publication 960-16, National Institute of
Standards and Technology, U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 2007.
3
About the authors
James R. Varner is professor emeritus
of ceramic engineering at Kazuo Inamori
School of Engineering, New York State
College of Ceramics, Alfred University,
and a consultant on cases involving
failure of glasses and ceramics. George
D. Quinn is a consultant in mechanical
properties of ceramics and glass and is
retired from the National Instititute for
Standards and Technology, where he
continues as a guest researcher. Contact
Varner at (607) 324-0850 or
[email protected]. n
Solving a Gulfstream puzzle
Course participants perform one hands-on laboratory exercise in which they analyze a broken 75-mm-diameter borosilicate crown optical glass disk.
Janet Quinn broke the disks in a ring-on-ring apparatus in controlled laboratory conditions in the mid-1990s. She tested hundreds of disks to collect
design data for a reliability analysis of a large (>1 m) window on a custom reconnaissance Gulfstream III aircraft that would fly at high altitudes.
Each student receives a bag of broken glass pieces from a single disk and is tasked with performing a failure analysis to find the fracture origin. Usually
one or two pieces are upside down, and indeed this is part of the exercise. Students must interpret fracture markings on all the pieces so they can align
the tension-flexed surfaces appropriately. In fact, this is a step any fractographer must do with genuine component fractures in the field!
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Credit: Credit: G. Quinn and J. Varner; Alfred U.
Students then must examine fracture surfaces
at the origin site to find the origin flaw. Flaws in
the disks vary from sharp contact damage sites,
scratches, and even sand impact pits that simulate
flaws that are found in real full-sized windows. As
a final step, students measure fracture mirror size
and estimate fracture strength. This latter step is
a unique aspect of the fracture of brittle materials
and no such analogue exists for metals or polymers. Students get a sense of accomplishment by
A student reassembles a BK-7 glass disk
“solving the puzzle” in this realistic exercise.
broken in biaxial flexure.
Credit: Credit: G. Quinn and J. Varner; Alfred U.
Once reassembled, the pattern of fracture becomes apparent: Fracture radiated outwards from the central origin, not unlike the fracture patterns in
actual large pressurized windows. Indeed, this
pattern confirms that the disk was properly tested
in the laboratory and was a valid test. Other disks
that failed from rim origins have radically different
fracture patterns.
The crack pattern of a reassembled BK-7
glass disk shows that the fracture origin is
close to disk’s center.
35
Credit: iStock
W
Paper manufacturing machine
Ceramic materials
in pulp and paper
manufacturing
by Mahendra Patel
Many areas of paper manufacturing use alumina, silicon
carbide, silicon nitride, composites, ceramic coatings, and
other advanced ceramic components.
hen touring a paper mill, the
visitor sees nothing but the
chimney, conveyer belts, numerous vessels—from small to gigantic—connected by
pipes, and slurry pumped from one area
to another. However, a paper manufacturing factory’s myriad structures use ceramic
materials, such as for the foundation, flooring, shades, tanks, and other machinery and
equipment.1 Increasingly, ceramic materials
are being used to address the inherent corrosion problems associated with papermaking,
which cause enormous operations challenges,
especially with regard to excessive recycling of
water and fibers.2 Figure 1 shows the primary
operations involved in paper manufacturing.
There is tremendous emphasis now on micromaterials and
nanomaterials.3 However, little published research details materials engineered specifically for the paper industry. Even in the
journals dedicated to pulp and paper, there are few publications
on material structure, properties, or composition.
Figure 2 shows that many ceramic materials have potential
applications in practically all areas of pulp and paper manufacturing, including raw-material preparation, pulping, bleaching,
stock preparation, paper machine operation, and coatings. The
ceramic products used in the pulp and paper industry include
traditional and advanced products as well as composites and coatings. Characteristic properties of ceramic products—high strength,
wear resistance, long service life, chemical inertness and nontoxicity, resistance to heat and fire, (usually) electrical resistance, and
(sometimes) specific porosity—all can be applied to the industry.
Some currently available advanced ceramic materials are as
strong as metals and additionally possess inherent chemical,
thermal, and abrasion resistance. These features have prompted
replacement of metallic parts with ceramic materials in modern machinery, a trend that is likely to increase in the future.
Composites that incorporate polymeric materials with ceramic
and notably glass fibers also have been on the rise.
Capsule summary
CAUSTIC CONDITIONS
ADVANCED CERAMICS OPPORTUNITY
Key point
Pulp and paper manufacturing occurs under
Many areas of paper manufacturing use
Installing advanced ceramics in pulp and pa-
elevated temperatures and extremely low pH
alumina, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, com-
per manufacturing plants can decrease wear
conditions. Abrasion, erosion, corrosion, and
posites, ceramic coatings, and other advanced
and corrosion and increase energy efficiency.
heat present materials selection challenges
ceramic components.
Although areas of some plants already are
across the entire manufacturing process.
fitted with ceramics, many opportunites for
further materials development and
deployment exist.
36
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Raw materials
preparation
(chipper)
Advances in materials
Digester-kraft
pulping
Digestersulphite
pulping
Paper machine
Former PressDryer
Credit: Patel
Figure 1. Flow chart of pulp and paper manufacturing processes.1
peratures and corrosive gases of black
liquor gasification is an example.
Slurry entering the paper machine
contains an enormous volume of water
that must be removed. Water from
the slurry is removed gradually from
a fabric support, on which pulp fibers
form a web that dries to become board
or paper. When paper machine speed
increases, fabric tension also increases.
Modern paper machines have long,
preferably lightweight, rolls, which
can lead to complex
roll deflection control
issues. Speed differences between roll
cover and fabric often
Ceramic
are the root cause of
materials
forming section roll
cover and fabric lifetime problems.
improved materials. The elevated harshness of environments causes more corrosion and abrasion and, thus, frequent
material failure.2 Figure 3 shows criteria
to consider in materials selection for
building machinery.
Criteria should be evaluated on the
benefits obtainable in the long term to
avoid increased maintenance costs and
reduced profits. For example, without
effective wear protection, expensive
SiAION
Tile and brick
Material selection
criteria
Credit: Patel
Engineers continuously develop new
material technologies for machinery
and equipment to replace metallic parts
with ceramics and polymeric materials.
Driving forces for substituting of metals
with ceramics are energy conservation,4
high-temperature service, low bulk
density, excellent erosion/corrosion
resistance, long-range availability, and
potential low cost.
Unlike ductile metals, ceramic materials are brittle and fail under stress.
Thus, ceramics require considerably
more refined or totally new approaches
to component design.5 The two leading
candidate ceramic material systems for
these high-temperature applications are
densified silicon nitride (Si3N4) and silicon carbide (SiC). These materials have
superior thermal shock, mechanical ware,
and corrosion, and erosion properties.
Si3N4 is superior in strength, fracture
toughness, and thermal shock resistance,
but SiC is harder, has higher thermal
conductivity, and potentially has better
creep resistance at high temperatures.
Difficulties finding the required
quality materials for pulp and paper
manufacture are partly economical, but
also relate to continuing alterations in
manufacturing technologies. For example, the bleaching process now uses chlorine dioxide and ozone instead of the
chlorine and hypochlorite used earlier.
Also, water, fiber, and chemical recycling has intensified. The sizing process,
which used to be acidic, is now alkaline.
Environmental pressure and a need to
increase overall product quality and productivity in the mill are driving forces
behind these technology changes. Yet to
be seen is how using nanotechnologies
in mill processes and products will lead
to additional changes.6
New materials developments have
led to bigger and faster machinery
with record-breaking results. Paper
is manufactured at speeds of more
than 2,000 m/min and deckle lengths
of more than 11 m. (The deckle is a
removable frame placed in a mold to
contain paper slurry and control sheet
size.) However, lack of materials innovation restrains advances in some areas.
The lack of appropriate refractory materials that can withstand the high tem-
Increased recycling Figure 2. Ceramic materials used in various areas of pulp and
paper manufacturing. The last column indicates areas in pulp
of water, fiber, and
and paper mills where ceramics have found application.
chemicals requires
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
37
Ceramic materials in pulp and paper manufacturing
Energy
consumption
Safety
Rebuilding
possibility
the forming section exist.
The dryer section of
a paper machine consumes more energy than
other sections—75%
of a machine's thermal
energy—but often is overlooked for optimization
and investment compared
with forming and pressing.
The dryer section also has
potential to improve running speed of the machine
and paper quality.
Water
consumption
Corrosion
Material
selection
criteria
Durability
Erosion
Quality
Productivity
Credit: Patel
Efficiency
Water consumption
Water always has
been the most essential and indispensable
resource in pulp and
paper manufacturing.
For economical and ecological reasons,
an increasing proportion of “white
water”—the filtrate that drains from
the wet end of the paper machine—is
recovered and reused as process water.
This technological development is feasible only because of increasing closure
of white-water loops. Looped systems’
materials combat harsh environments,
so ceramic materials are preferred
wherever possible instead of metals.
Figure 3: Criteria for material selection. 1
production systems quickly succumb to
abrasion, corrosion, and excessive heat,
resulting in costly repairs and downtime.
Corrosion
Proper material selection is the key
to avoid corrosion. When a vessel needs
to be replaced because of corrosion or
cracking, plant managers should consider all options before replacing the
equipment in kind.2 Because the previous vessel lasted for 20 years does not
suggest that a new one will do the same.
The level of corrosion has increased
dramatically in mills, making corrosion
resistance a primary factor in materials selection. Recycling has increased
process temperatures and the concentrations of corrosive species, such as
chlorides. Therefore, environments in
modern pulp and paper mills are much
more aggressive than before. Although
metals are prone to corrosion, ceramic
and polymeric materials are less susceptible and, therefore, where possible, are
preferred over metallic parts.4
Energy
The simplest route to saving energy in
production is procuring energy-efficient
machinery.3 Although pulp and paper
production is an energy-intensive industry, significant progress in conservation
has been made recently. Less energy is
needed in the forming section by optimizing the former and forming fabric
process. However, additional opportunities to optimize and conserve energy in
38
Ceramic materials
Four categories of ceramic materials
are used in paper manufacturing:
• Traditional refractory ceramics, such
as fire-resistant and acid-proof refractory
brick, castable, tile, and cement;
• Advanced ceramic products, including ultrapure alumina (Al2O3), SiC, Si3N4,
Si-Al-O-N (SiAlON), and zirconia (ZrO2);
• Composites; and
• Nanomaterials.
The new generation of ceramics and
design methods has potential to help
increase efficiency, save energy, decrease
maintenance, optimize recycling, and
reduce pollution.1,3 Important advances
are underway in four categories: monolithic ceramics; composite ceramics; coatings; and refractories.
Brick and tile—because they are costeffective and strong enough—tend not to
be replaced with other materials. Brick,
flooring tile, and cement are used in
almost the entire mill area.
Advanced ceramic materials
Here, the term “monolithic” refers to
materials composed entirely of ceramic,
typically having low porosity and
comprising a complete component or
lining.3 Examples include dense forms
of Al2O3, Si3N4, SiC, ZrO2, transformation-toughened zirconia (TTZ), transformation-toughened alumina (TTA), and
aluminum nitride (AlN).
Advances in materials development
have increased the utility of monolithic
ceramics for thermal, wear, corrosion,
and structural applications in paper manufacturing. In particular, strength and
toughness properties have been improved
to a level that ceramic components
can compete with metals. For example,
Al2O3, Si3N4, and SiC are used for draining equipment in paper manufacturing.
Ceramics solve high-wear problems
associated with the paper manufacturing process. For example, at the wet end
of the paper manufacturing, water is
removed from the pulp slurry by moving
it over ceramic dewatering foils at high
speeds, often in excess of 100 km/min.
The environment is very demanding,
because paper pulp is abrasive and the
chemical environment is severe.
Si3N4 and SiC have replaced Al2O3 as
dewatering foils because of their superior
hardness, fracture toughness, wear resistance, and thermal shock resistance.
Alumina
From technical and economic perspectives, Al2O3 is the most preferred
ceramic material. It has fairly high
strength, and many industrial and technical ceramics are manufactured now
with Al2O3 purity ranging from 80%
to 99.8%. Consequently, Al2O3 is the
ceramic material against which alternative ceramic materials are evaluated.
Silicon carbide
SiC ceramics are harder than Al2O3
and Si3N4 and, thus, have superior wear
resistance. The high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion, and refractoriness of SiC make it useful for paper
manufacturing. However, it is much costlier than Al2O3. Common applications
of SiC include pump seals, valve components, and wear-intensive applications,
such as rollers. The typical applications
of SiC in pulp and paper mills include
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No.3
Paper industry fast facts
fixed and moving turbine components,
suction box covers; seals, bearings, pump
vanes; and ball valve parts, hot-gas-flow
liners, and heat exchangers.
Silicon nitride
Si3N4 also has properties superior to
Al2O3. For example, its beneficial drag
coefficients are gentle to forming fabrics.
It commonly is used in twin wire forming and press applications because of its
excellent resistance to thermal shock.
Ceramic coatings
Protective ceramic coatings applied
to machinery and piping extend their
lifetimes, and ceramic coatings protect
internal surfaces of pumps and delicate
measuring equipment. Ceramic coatings
are used in pulp and paper manufacturing for calender rolls, center press rolls,
coater rolls, winder drums, dryer felt
rolls, and paper converting rolls.
Composites
Advanced ceramic particulates, continuous fibers, and whiskers provide
reinforcement for engineered ceramic
composite materials. They represent a
new generation of materials tailored for
specific applications.6–9 Ceramic composites reinforced with nanoscale materials,
such as nanotubes, have mechanical
properties superior to conventional composite materials.
Ceramic–ceramic, metal–ceramic, and
ceramic–polymer composite materials
are used in pulp and paper manufacturing. These high toughness materials
do not fracture easily and assure high
reliability. Some oxide and non-oxide
ceramic matrices contain residual metal
after processing. Common oxide matrices include Al2O3, silica, mullite, barium
aluminosilicate, lithium aluminosilicate,
and calcium aluminosilicate. Common
non-oxide ceramic-matrix materials
include SiC, Si3N4, boron carbide, and
AlN. SiC is the most widely used, and
AlN is used where high thermal conductivity is required. Si3N4 is used when
high strength is desired.
Composite materials are used in
screw conveyors, cyclones, pulverizers,
hydropulpers, Y-splitters, pumps, chutes,
silos, and hydrofiners. Glass-filled polymer composites (UHMWPE) are used
as dewatering elements in the paper
machine. Paper industry components are available in glass-filled
Si3N4, SiC, and various ceramic
grades. Dewatering elements
include ceramic and plastic foils,
ceramic and plastic covers, Uhle
box covers and doctor blades,
and bearings.
Paper mills worldwide
Paper mills in the United States
Annual global production
Annual U.S. production†
†Largest worldwide producer.
Source: The Technological Association of the Pulp and Paper Association, tappi.org
Other monolithic ceramic materials
Other ceramic compositions have
been developed based on SiAlON,
AlN, mullite, and aluminosilicates for
specific purposes. Applications involving many of these materials are in the
development stage.
Zirconia aluminum nitride, titania,
borides, magnesia, and their composite
materials are emerging as ceramic products for demanding areas.
Monolithic ceramics, because of their
strength and toughness, are especially
suitable for small-to-medium-sized parts
that provide improved wear resistance,
corrosion resistance, low friction, and
high-temperature stability. Mullite and
aluminosilicate refractory materials are
used in the recovery boiler area.
Applications in pulp and
paper industries
There are many opportunities for
new materials in the paper-manufacturing process. Table 1 highlights areas
that well-suited for incorporating
ceramic materials.
Raw materials
Materials with adequate abrasion
resistance, such as specialty WC-Co
cermet, are needed for debarking and
chipping. Factory and yard storage flooring are constructed with well-burned
red brick with higher Al2O3 content
and cement and lower proportion of fly
ash, as in case of pozzolanic cement, to
reduce floor wear.
Pulping
Many mills continue to use digesters
made of mild carbon steel, because of its
economy and availablility. The sulphite
mill digester is one area that could incorporate ceramic materials. Similarly, in
the chemical pulping area, ceramics may
serve as blow line linings, blow tank target plates, hydrocyclone cleaners, pumps,
and washer vats.
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
10,000
500
300 million metric tons
87 million metric tons
Washing
Brown stock (unbleached pulp slurry)
washer systems require proper selection of metallic and ceramic materials.
Washer vats and pulp storage tanks are
tile lined and constructed with chemically resistant masonry.
Bleaching
Unlike the alkaline pH in the pulping
process, acidic pH (~2) prevails in the
bleaching process with chlorine and chlorine dioxide. Stainless-steel corrosion has
been a persistent problem in bleaching.
Titanium metal, which is costly, is now
used. Therefore, ceramic materials are
preferred because of their corrosion resistance and cost effectiveness. Installing
fiber-reinforced composites in bleaching
areas also may prove effective.
Wet end
The wet end starts with the approach
piping that carries treated pulp to the
paper machine and continues to the
dryer section. Stock tanks are made of
acid- and abrasion-resistant ceramic tile.
Magnesia-partially-stabilized zirconia lines
the flow path and trim parts of highly
abrasive rotary control applications. This
area has become complicated with the
introduction of synthetic surface sizing
agents, which work in the alkaline range
and are vulnerable to attack by microorganisms, causing corrosion.
Paper machine
Paper machine environments are
harsh and variable. Paper machines
include the typical twin wire and from
stock approach piping to the reel. These
areas require materials of exceptional
quality for construction, and, wherever needed, appropriate surface finish
requirements must be met.
Energy efficiency of the paper machine
is important, leading to many parts now
being made up of ceramics (Figure 4).
Forming
Many metal parts of paper machines
slowly are being replaced by ceramics.
39
Ceramic materials in pulp and paper manufacturing
Drainage
elements
Press
section
elements
Dewatering
elements
Forming
boards
Gap former
Twin wire
former
High- and
low-vacuum
suction box
Credit: Patel
Gravity box
Figure 4. Applications for ceramic materials in a
paper machine.
These components
are used to remove
water and control the
wet paper web during
paper manufacturing. Suction rolls are
expensive yet necessary
components of modern
paper manufacturing
machines. Continuous
slotted ceramic suction
box covers are a recent
innovation. Various
types of roll covers are
made of rubber and
other advanced polymeric materials.
Table 1 Critical applications of ceramics in pulp and paper manufacturing
Area of application
Required materials properties
Example materials
Mechanical pulping–rotating grindstones Abrasion resistance
Carbide-reinforced metal
Recovery boiler
Corrosion, thermal shock-, and impact resistance Alumina, aluminosilicate, and
mullite brick and tile; ceramic
coatings
Black liquor gasification system
Corrosion-resistant spinel
refractory materials
Improved ceramic refractory and hot gas cleanup components
Bleaching with hydrogen peroxide and Improved corrosion resistance
chlorine dioxide
Ceramic tile and coatings;
high-alumina ceramics;
ceramic filter materials with
58% silica and 34% alumina,
with traces of silicon carbide;
acid-brick lining or solid FRP
dual laminate
Mechanical refiner rotating disks
Lighter weight, wear resistance
WC-Co cermet; partially
stabilized zirconia products
Paper machine
Improved release characteristics for impulse dryer Ceramic coatings
rolls in advanced paper machine
Head box components, press rolls, pumps, Improved corrosion and wear resistance
chutes, and pipes
Silicon nitride and alumina;
metal rolls covered with rubber
or polyurethane; rolls include
filled rubber and resin covers
and ceramic coatings
Doctor blades, slitters, drums, and screen Improved abrasion resistance
baskets in the paper machine
Silicon carbide and silicon
nitride
Ceramic ball valve (Mg-PSZ)
On-line sensors to measure moisture content, thickness, stiffness, web and
paper quality, and fiber properties
and orientation
Improved processes for gas, solid, and liquid separations
Erosion resistant control valves; electrical pulse measurement; gap measurement
Gas separation property-diffusion and permeation; Porous alumina membranes in
transport mechanism; pressure- and temperature- double layer (a, ß, y phases)
swing adsorption
Dryer rolls
Higher modulus (stiffer) material Ceramic matrix composite
coating; plasma-sprayed
zirconia ceramic coating
Pressure shoe and roll in the paper machine Improved lubrication properties
Composite (polymer-, rubber-,
and resin-based) ceramics
Blow plate
Improved wear and corrosion resistance
Platinum-alumina-cermet
electrode
Superheater and reheater tubes and for Suphidation-resistant materials and coatings
scrubber and gas turbine components
Cast-aluminum oxide-based
cements having low heat
transfer capability to highly
engineered silicon carbidebased cements
40
Press
Mills with less harsh manufacturing environments use painted steel
frameworks. The press section now uses
ceramic materials, however, lower alloyed
martensitic and ferritic stainless steels are
used where some corrosion resistance and
higher strength are required.
Dryer
Dryer performance impacts energy use
across the industry, and, therefore, dryer
design and material selection is vital.
Hard ceramic coatings have been developed to protect drying and machine
glazed cylinders from wear. These coatings are applied by thermal spraying,
either onsite or during maintenance
work. The coatings consist of a corrosion- and wear-resistant layer, ensuring
surface and geometric stability of the
cylinder. Dirt-repelling versions keep the
surface clean and improve sheet release.
Coater
Materials advancements have reduced
the blade surface roughness, which results
in better blade performance. Traditionally,
coating blades were made of steel incorporating Al2O3 particles. Blade technology
focused on improving the existing Al2O3based material until about 2000. Ceramiccoated chromium-based alloy, metal-based
materials, and elastomer-based materials
that impart better quality have been developed since then.
Evaporator
Multiple-effect evaporators and concentrators always have been made of
stainless steel. Concentrator tubings
made of stainless steel succumb to general corrosion and to caustic stress corrosion cracking in liquors concentrated
to higher than ~70% dry solids.5 Proper
selection of metals is critical for handling higher solid content.
Ceramic materials are being investigated for use in some parts of the evaporator. An evaporator includes a liquid
barrier wall, a vapor barrier wall, and a
wick made of ceramic, the latter positioned between the walls.
Recovery boiler
The recovery boiler operates at temperatures of ~1,000°C and presents one
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No.3
of the most challenging areas for materials technology. Many ceramic, metallic,
and polymeric materials have been developed over the years to replace iron and
steel components. The recovery boiler
closed system has increased the number
of nonprocess elements involved and
increased likelihood of corrosion in the
recovery boiler. Research to develop
black liquor gasification is neither technically nor commercially feasible because
of lack of proper refractory material.
Lime kiln
Carbon steel and low-alloy steels can
be used for the first two zones of the
chain if the metal temperature does
not exceed 400°C. Materials selection
depends on particular kiln and cost
factors. Modern kiln construction consists of two-layer refractory linings—a
brick lining and a layer of insulating
brick underneath.10
Effluent treatment plant
Normally, the effluent treatment plant
(ETP) is the most neglected area in a
paper mill. Ceramics in the ETP can handle abrasive, corrosive, and, at times, hightemperature and high-pressure liquids.
Instruments and pumps
Materials used to make manufacturinggrade instruments and pumps must withstand the harsh environments that prevail
in the manufacturing process. Efficient
pulp and paper mill equipment contains sensors made of highly engineered
electronic ceramics, metals, and alloys.
Manufacturers of process pumps—essential to paper manufacturing are intensely
interested in using ceramics and metals to
combat corrosion and erosion.
Other applications
Commercially available ceramic components and services that recondition
ceramic dewatering elements and ceramic
cleaner cones for paper manufacturing
exist. Applications include drainage elements, dewatering elements, forming
boards, gravity box, high- and low-vacuum
suction boxes, twin wire formers, gap
formers, and press section elements. One
manufacturer has incorporated ceramic
components—96% Al2O3, 99.7% Al2O3,
ZrO2, and Al2O3 + 8% ZrO2—as dewatering elements in its production process.
The most-used ceramics in pulp and
Table 2: Applications of aluminium oxide and silicon nitride ceramic products in different areas of
paper machine1
Ceramic type
Wear surface component Application
Description
Aluminium oxide
Ceramic blade
Forming board: lead position
Deflector
Solid ceramic segment for clamping
dovetail holder
Aluminium oxide
Former
Silicon nitride
Forming board: trail position
Foil
Deflector
Vacuum foil
Wet box
Unfoil
Wire contact ceramic with
fiberglass carrier on a poly base for use
in any holder
Full top ceramic with fiberglass for
popular holders
Aluminium oxide
Unfoil
Unfoil
Wire contact ceramic with fiberglass
carrier for wedge grip holders and unfoil
Aluminium oxide
Multi-slot covers
Flatbox covers: single and multicomponent
Ceramic with fiberglass carrier mounted
on a 316 SS frame for use on any new or
existing structure
Silicon nitride
Wear strips
Press fabric, cleaning assembly Ceramic with heavy duty fiberglass carrier
Wear strips
Aluminium oxide
Silicon nitride
Zirconia
Special applications
Special applications
paper manufacturing are Al2O3 and
Si3N4. Table 2 presents their applications
in various areas of paper manufacturing.1
The wire table contains the dewatering elements: forming board, dewatering
foils, hydrofoil boxes, vacuum water
boxes, and suction boxes. Ceramic
hydrofoils used for dewatering have
high strength, good wear resistance,
and low friction coefficient, and, thus,
they last longer in paper manufacturing machines. The cover materials are
made of 95% and 99% Al2O3, zirconiatoughened alumina, zirconia, and highdensity polyethylene, and box materials
are SS304 and SS202.
Many other ceramic products,
manufactured for the pulp, paper, and
other industries include tubes, rods,
pump shafts, impellers, washers, seal
faces, nozzles, ferrules, standoffs, rings,
crucibles, insulators, fixtures, element
supports, thermocouple insulators and
protection tubes, guides, rollers, pulleys,
and custom parts. Applications drive the
cost-effective use of modern ceramics.
Advanced compositions, vacuum bonding, high-tensile-strength adhesives, composition fabrication, and spraying along
with traditional methods all are used in
pulp and paper industry applications.
The products are engineered to withstand a wide range of abrasive, corrosive,
and moderate impact applications.
About the author
Mahendra Patel owns Industrypaper,
Sambalpur, Odisha, India, and serves
the Indian Agro and Recycled Paper
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Special tooling charge may apply
Mills Association. Contact Patel at
[email protected].
Editor’s note
This article was adapted with
permission from Ceramics in Paper
Manufacturing including Advanced
and Nano Materials, P. Mahendra,
Industrypaper (www.industrypaper.net),
New Delhi (2013).
References
M. Patel, “Ceramics in paper manufacturing, including
advanced and nano materials,” Industrypaper (www.
industrypaper.net), New Delhi, 2013.
1
M. Patel, “Operations and recycling in paper mills with
micro and nano concepts,” Industrypaper (www.industrypaper.net), New Delhi, 2012.
2
3
M. Patel, “Micro and nanotechnology in paper manufacturing,”. Industrypaper (www.industrypaper.net), New
Delhi, 2010.
D.W. Freitag and D.W. Richerson, “Opportunities for
advanced ceramics to meet the needs of the industries
of the future,” DOE/ORO Report No. 2076, Prepared
by U.S. Advanced Ceramics Association and Oak
Ridge National Laboratory for the Office of Industrial
Technologies Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C., 1998.
4
J.A. Coppola and C.H. McMurtry, “Substitution of
ceramics for ductile materials in design,” presented at
National Symposium on Ceramics in the Service of
Man, Washington, D.C., June 7, 1976.
5
M. Patel and A. Karera, “Silicon carbide from rice
husk: Role of catalysts,” J. Mater. Sci. Lett., 8, 955–56
(1989).
6
M. Patel, “SiC from rice husk: ESCA study,” Powder
Metall. Int., 22, 33–35 (1990).
7
M. Patel and P. Kumari, “Silicon carbide from sugarcane leaf and rice straw,” J. Mater. Sci. Lett., 9, 375–78
(1990).
8
M. Patel and B.K. Padhi, “Production of alumina fibre
through jute fibre substrate,” J. Mater. Sci., 25, 1335-43
(1990).
9
M. Patel, “Minerals in paper manufacturing,”
Industrypaper, New Delhi, India, 2008. n
10
41
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42
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337 3D Ceram
336 Akron Porcelain & Plastics Co
409 Alfa Full (Guangxi Tengxian) Titanium
Dioxide Co Ltd
309 Alfred University
125 Almatis Inc
328 Alteo Alumina
419 AluChem Inc
108 AlzChem, LLC
240 APC International Ltd
247 Apogee Engineered Ceramics Inc
114 Applied Ceramics Inc
412 Applied Minerals Inc
112 Associated Ceramics & Technology Inc
139 Association of American Ceramic
Component Manufacturers
523 Astral Material Industrial Co. Ltd
440 AVEKA
417 Baikowski International
341 Bakony Technical Ceramics Ltd
134 BassTech International
506 Beijing Zhongxing Shiqiang Ceramic
Bearing Co Ltd
230 Blasch Precision Ceramics Inc
414 Boca Bearing Company
413 Bullen Ultrasonics Inc
251 California Nanotechnologies
425 Centerline Technologies
226 Ceramco Inc
154 Ceramdis Advanced Ceramics
124 Ceramic Applications (CA) and Ceramic
Forum International (CFI) and TASK
237 Ceramic Industry
335 Ceramics Expo 2016
346 Cleveland Vibrator Co
342 COI Ceramics Inc
123 Corning Incorporated
141 Custom Processing Services
340 Deltech Inc
Ceramic & Glass Applications
444 Diacut Inc
318 Diamond America Corp
431 DORST America
129 Du-Co Ceramics Company
311 Edward Orton Jr Ceramic Foundation
118 Eirich Machines Inc
350 Elan Technology
324 Elkem Materials Inc
345 ESL ElectroScience
642 Evans Analytical Group LLC
148 Exakt Technologies Inc
219 Ferro-Ceramic Grinding Inc
246 Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische
Technologien und Systeme IKTS
411 Friatec N.A LCC
420 FRITSCH USA Inc
319 Gasbarre Products Inc
325 GeoCorp Inc
618 Glass Mfg Industry Council
541 Goodfellow Corp
636 HarbisonWalker International
326 Harper International Corporation
117 Harrop Industries Inc
109 Hitachi High Technologies America Inc
638 Hysitron
244 Imerys North America Ceramics
104 Indo US MIM Tec Pvt Ltd
512 Industrial Minerals
418 Innovative Fabrication Inc
241 Innovnano - Advanced Materials SA
122 INTA Technologies
238 IPS Ceramics
614 IRD Glass
634 Keith Company
406 Kexing Special Ceramics., Ltd
147 Kläger Spritzguß GmbH & Co. KG
626 Lancaster Products
155 Lanly Company
334 Lithoz GmbH
622 M.E.SCHUPP Industriekeramik GmbH
& Co. KG
347 Materion Ceramics
632 MemPro Materials Corporation
137 Metsch Refractories Inc
235 Micromeritics Instrument Corp
349 Microtrac Inc
530 MillenniTEK
510 MK Import/Export Inc
408 Momentive Performance Materials Inc
217 Morgan Advanced Materials
116 Mo-Sci Corp
229 Nabaltec AG
142 Nabertherm
446 Nanoe
100 Netzsch Instruments NA LLC
144 Ningbo Cathay Pacific Ceramics Co Ltd
511 Ningxia Haolida Industry& Trade Co Ltd
416 Noritake
110 Northern Illinois University
243 NSL Analytical
227 Nu-Star Inc
143 Nutec Bickley
543 Nyacol Nano Technologies Inc
438 Paul O. Abbe
106 Philips Ceramics Uden
423 Piezo Kinetics Inc
339 Powder Processing & Technology LLC
650 PremaTech Advanced Ceramics
441 PSC Inc
509 Qingdao Terio Corporation
407 Qingdao Western Coast Advanced
Materials Co Ltd
317 Rath Inc
315 Robocasting Enterprises LLC
435 Saint Gobain NorPro
201 Saint Gobain ZirPro
136 Sauereisen
646 Sentro Tech
401 Setaram Inc
128 Shanghai Unite Technology Co. Ltd
307 Sigma Advanced Materials
442 Sinocera Technology USA Inc
301 SolidCAM Inc
111 Stahli USA Inc
529 Sumitomo Chemical & Inabata America
429 Suntech Advanced Ceramics (Shenzhen)
Co Ltd
232 Superior Graphite
122 Superior Technical Ceramics Corp
513 Suzhou Jingdu Ceramics Technology
Co Ltd
225 Swindell Dressler International
210 TA Instruments - Water Corporation LLC
620 TBS Abrasives
140 Team by Sacmi - Laeis GmbH
443 TevTech LLC
207 The American Ceramic Society (ACerS)
424 The City of Stoke-on-Trent
300 The Young Industries Inc
313 Thermaltek
228 Trans-Tech Inc
223 Treibacher Industrie AG
531 Tunable Materials Co Ltd
525 Union Process Inc
149 Verder Scientific Inc
249 Verity Technical Consultants LLC
616 Vesta Si Europe Ab
126 Viridis3D LLC
517 Washington Mills Electro Minerals Corp
508 Yixing Zhong Run Ceramics Technology
Co Ltd
507 Zhengzhou Zhenzhong Fused New
Material Co Ltd
322 ZIRCAR Ceramics Inc
630 ZIRCAR Refractory Composites
131 Zircoa Inc
American Ceramic
Society Bulletin,
Vol. 94,
No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
43
Don’t
forget
to put
Ceramics
Expo 2016 in your calendar – April 26-28, 2016
2015
ACerS GOMD–DGG Joint
Annual Meeting
may 17 – 21 |
Hilton Miami Downtown
Join the Glass & Optical Materials Division and the Deutsche Glastechnische Gesellschaft in Miami for the GOMD-DGG 2015
Joint Annual Meeting. The program covers physical properties and technological processes important to glasses, amorphous
solids, and optical materials. Sessions headed by technical leaders from industry, labs, and academia will discuss the latest
advances in glass science and technology as well as examine the amorphous state.
Make your plans for GOMD-DGG 2015 today!
!
w
o
n
ister
Reg
Hilton Miami Downtown Hotel
1601 Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, FL 33132
Rates
$164 – Single/Double
Reserve your room online at ceramics.org/gomd-dgg or
by phone at 305-374-0000 by April 17, 2015 to secure the
conference rate.
Schedule
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Welcome reception
6 – 8 p.m.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Stookey Lecture of Discovery
Concurrent sessions Lunch provided
GOMD general business meeting
Poster session and student competition
8 – 9 a.m.
9:20 a.m. – 5:40 p.m.
Noon – 1:20 p.m.
5:45 – 6:30 p.m.
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Morey Award Lecture
Concurrent sessions Kreidl Award Lecture
Lunch on own
Conference banquet
8 – 9 a.m.
9:20 a.m. – 5:40 p.m.
Noon – 1:20 p.m.
Noon – 1:20 p.m.
7 – 10 p.m.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Varshneya Glass Science Lecture
Concurrent sessions Lunch on own
8 – 9 a.m.
9:20 a.m. – 5:40 p.m.
Noon – 1:20 p.m.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Varshneya Glass Technology Lecture
Concurrent sessions
8 – 9 a.m.
9:20 a.m. – Noon
ceramics.org/gomd-dgg
Conference Sponsors
AM ERICA N
E L EMEN T S
44
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Program chairs:
Gang Chen
Ohio University, USA
[email protected]
Division chair
Steven A. Feller
Coe College, USA
Chair-elect
Randall Youngman
Corning Incorporated, USA
Reinhard Conradt
RWTH Aachen University,
Germany
[email protected]
Steve W. Martin
Iowa State University, USA
[email protected]
Vice chair
Stookey Lecture of Discovery
Edgar Zanotto
Federal University of São
Carlos, Brazil
Monday, May 18, 2015 | 8 – 9 a.m.
N. B. Singh, University of Maryland,
Baltimore County, USA
Secretary
Pierre Lucas
University of Arizona, USA
Title: Development of multifunctional chalcogenide and chalcopyrite crystals and glasses
*Short course: Nucleation, growth, and
crystallization in glasses
May 16 – 17, 2015 | 1 – 5 p.m.; 8 a.m. – Noon | Hilton
Miami Downtown
Instructor: Edgar Zanotto, Federal University of São
Carlos, Brazil
Glass and glass–ceramic researchers and manufacturers
must avoid or control crystallization in glass. Zanotto—a
leading expert in the field—will teach a short course on
the intricate nucleation and growth processes that control
crystallization in glasses and how they impact novel glass
production and glass–ceramic innovations. Scheduled the
weekend before the conference, the short course leads
directly into the GOMD–DGG 2015 meeting.
*Workshop: What’s new in ancient glass research
George W. Morey Lecture
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 | 8 – 9 a.m.
Jianrong Qiu, South China University of
Technology, China
Title: Control of the metastable state of glasses
Norbert J. Kreidl Lecture
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 | Noon – 1:20 p.m.
Michael Guerette, Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, USA
Title: Structure of nonlinear elasticity of silica
glass fiber under high strains
Varshneya Frontiers of Glass Science Lecture
May 17, 2015 | 8:30 a.m. – 5:20 p.m. | Hyatt Regency Miami
Organizers: Glenn Gates, The Walters Art Museum; Pamela
Vandiver, University of Arizona
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 | 8 – 9 a.m.
Sabyasachi Sen, University of California,
Davis, USA
Explore glass’s past and present at this one-day workshop
sponsored by ACerS Art, Archaeology and Conservation Science Division, in conjunction with the American Institute for
Conservation. Attendees will learn about ancient glass compositions, conservation, technologies, and manufacturing
techniques, including reconstructing knowledge of production events, reverse engineering ancient technologies, and
the behavioral knowledge of production, consumption, and
distribution that they encompass.
Title: Structural aspects of relaxational
dynamics in glasses and supercooled liquids
Varshneya Frontiers of Glass Technology Lecture
Thursday, May 21, 2015 | 8 – 9 a.m.
Steven B. Jung, Mo-Sci Corporation, USA
Title: The present and future of glass in medicine
*Separate registration fee required
Award Sponsors
Media Sponsor:
Official News Sources:
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
45
2015
ACerS GOMD–DGG Joint
Annual Meeting
may 17 – 21 |
Hilton Miami Downtown
Register now ceramics.org/gomd-dgg
Technical program preview
Full schedule and program details at ceramics.org/gomd-dgg
Symposium
Sessions
DaTes
S1: Energy and environmental aspects—Fundamentals and applications
Session 1: Flat glasses, fibers, foams, and enamels
Session 2: Active glassy materials
Session 3: Thin film technologies
May 20
May 19
May 19
S2: Glasses in healthcare—
Session 1: Glasses in healthcare—fundamentals
Fundamentals and and applications
applications
May 18 – 19
S3: Fundamentals of the glassy state
Session 1: Glass formation and structural relaxation
Session 2: Nucleation, growth, and crystallization in glasses
Session 3: Structural characterization of glasses Session 4: Computer simulations and modeling Session 5: Mechanical properties of glasses Session 6: Non-oxide and metallic glasses Session 7: Glass under extreme conditions May 21
May 20
S4: Optical and electronic Session 1: Amorphous semiconductors: materials and devices—
Materials and devices
Fundamentals and
Session 2: Optical fibers applications
Session 3: Optical materials for components and devices
Session 4: Glass–ceramics and optical ceramics
May 18
S5: Glass technology and crosscutting topics May 18
May 21
May 20
May 19 – 21
Session 1: Challenges in glass manufacturing Session 2: Transparent protective systems Session 3: Liquid synthesis and sol-gel-derived materials Session 4: Waste immobilization—Waste form development: Processing and performance
46
May 18 – 20
May 19 – 21
May 18 – 19
May 20 – 21
May 19 – 21
May 19 – 20
May 18 – 19
May 20 – 21
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
6
abstracts due april 24!
th
Advances in Cement-based
Materials
July 20 – 22, 2015
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., USA
Technical Program
– Cement chemistry and nano/
microstructure
– Alternative cementitious materials
– Rheology and advances in SCC
– Smart materials and sensors
Present your innovation or emerging
research, hear cutting-edge advancements from thought leaders, and build
collaborations with the cement-based
materials community at Cements 2015.
Hotel Information
– Advances in material characterization
techniques
Reserve your room at:
– Durability and life cycle modeling
Bluemont Hotel:
$100/night, reserve by June 30, 2015
– Advances in computational material
science and chemo/mechanical
modeling of cement-based materials
Holiday Inn at Campus:
$99.95/night, reserve by June 20, 2015
Organizers
Kyle Riding program cochair
Kansas State University
Matthew D’Ambrosia program cochair
CTL Group
Cements Division Leadership
Chair: Jeff Chen, Lafarge Ceutre de Recherche
Chair-elect: Tyler Ley, Oklahoma State University
Secretary: Aleksandra Radlinska
Trustee: Joe Biernacki, Tennessee Technological University
ACBM Leadership Director
Jason Weiss
ceramics.org/cements2015
REGISTER NOW TO SAVE $150!
11th International Conference on Ceramic Materials and
Components for Energy and Environmental Applications
Ceramic technologies for sustainable development
ceramics.org/11cmcee
June 14 – 19, 2015 Hyatt Regency Vancouver, BC, Canada
The 11th CMCEE identifies key challenges and opportunities
for ceramic technologists to create sustainable development.
A global event, 11th CMCEE promotes ceramic research for
energy and environmental applications. Engage in discussions
on a global scale and make lasting relationships during the
networking events. Register now to take part!
“Ceramic materials and technologies play a key
role in solving major energy and environmental
challenges facing the global community.”
—Singh
Plenary Speakers
Dan Arvizu
Sponsors
Director and chief executive, National
Renewable Energy Laboratory; president,
Alliance for Sustainable Energy LLC, USA
Title: Maximizing the potential of
renewable energy
Arthur “Chip” Bottone
President and CEO, FuelCell Energy Inc., USA;
managing director, FuelCell Energy
Solutions GmbH, Germany
Title: High-temperature fuel cells delivering
clean, affordable power today
Sanjay M. Correa
Vice president, CMC Program, GE Aviation, USA
Title: CMC applications in turbine engines:
Science at scale
Richard Metzler
Managing director, Rauschert GmbH, Germany
Title: Energy-efficient manufacturing: What can
be done in the technical ceramics industry and
which technical ceramic products can help
other industries
Organizers
48
K FK
FURUYA METAL Co., Ltd.
Mrityunjay Singh
Tatsuki Ohji
Chair
Ohio Aerospace
Institute, USA
Cochair
AIST, Japan
Alexander Michaelis
Cochair
Fraunhofer IKTS, Germany
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
Schedule
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Welcome reception
5 – 7 p.m.
Monday, June 15, 2015
Plenary session Lunch
Concurrent sessions
9:30 a.m. – Noon
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
1:30 – 5 p.m.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Concurrent sessions
Lunch on own
Poster session and reception
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Concurrent sessions Lunch on own Conference dinner
8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
7 – 9 p.m.
8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
5 – 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 19, 2015
Concurrent sessions
8:30 a.m. – Noon
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Concurrent sessions
Free afternoon and evening
8:30 a.m. – Noon
Technical Program
Plenary session: Technological innovations and sustainable development
Track 1: Ceramics for energy conversion, storage, and
distribution systems
High-temperature fuel cells and electrolysis
Ceramics-related materials, devices, and processing for heat-to electricity direct conversion aiming at green and sustainable
human societies
Photovoltaic materials, devices, and systems
Materials science and technologies for advanced nuclear fission
and fusion energy
Functional nanomaterials for sustainable energy technologies
Advanced multifunctional nanomaterials and systems for
photovoltaic and photonic technologies
Advanced batteries and supercapacitors for energy storage
applications
Materials for solar thermal energy conversion and storage
High-temperature superconductors: Materials, technologies,
and systems
Track 2: Ceramics for energy conservation and efficiency
Advanced ceramics and composites for gas-turbine engines
Advanced ceramic coatings for power systems
Energy-efficient advanced bearings and wear-resistant materials
Materials for solid-state lighting
Advanced refractory ceramic materials and technologies
Advanced nitrides and related materials for energy applications
Ceramics in conventional energy, oil, and gas exploration
Track 4: Crosscutting materials technologies
Computational design and modeling
Additive manufacturing technologies
Novel, green, and strategic processing and
manufacturing technologies
Powder processing technology for advanced ceramics
Advanced materials, technologies, and devices for electrooptical
and biomedical applications
Multifunctional coatings for energy and environmental applications
Materials for extreme environments: Ultra-high-temperature
ceramics (UHTC) and nanolaminated ternary carbides and
nitrides (MAX phases)
Ceramic integration technologies for energy and
environmental applications
Environment-friendly and energy-efficient manufacturing routes
for production root technology
Bioinspired and hybrid materials
Materials diagnostics and structural health monitoring of ceramic
components and systems
Honorary Symposiums
• Innovative processing and microstructural design of advanced
ceramics—A symposium in honor of professor Dongliang Jiang
• Materials processing science with lasers as energy sources—A
symposium in honor of professor Juergen Heinrich
Hyatt Regency Vancouver
Track 3: Ceramics for environmental systems
655 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 2R7 | 604-683-1234
Photocatalysts for energy and environmental applications
Advanced functional materials, devices, and systems for
environmental conservation and pollution control
Geopolymers, inorganic polymer ceramics, and sustainable
composites
Porous and cellular ceramics for filter and membrane applications
Advanced sensors for energy, environment, and health applications
Single/Double: Triple: Quad: Student: American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
CA$220
CA$255
CA$290
CA$165
If you need assistance with travel
planning or have questions about
the destination, contact Greg Phelps
at [email protected].
49
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The mills achieve more economical and
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973-467-8140
eFelsko’s new
PosiTector
SmartLink tool
works with a free
mobile application, PosiSoft Mobile, to turn cellphones
and tablets into virtual PosiTector gauges.
The lightweight and compact tool instantly
transmits readings to a smart device. The
free application, PosiSoft Mobile, allows
users to browse stored measurement data,
update batch information, and more.
Online integration allows users to share,
backup, synchronize, and report measurement data via email, applications, and an
online cloud.
ason now
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October 4 – 8, 2015 | Greater Columbus Convention Center | Columbus, Ohio USA | matscitech.org
Technical Meeting and Exposition
Reserve your booth by May 15. Save $100!
Contact a representative to reserve your space!
Co-sponsored by:
Mona Thiel
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[email protected]
Beth Kirschner
(724) 814-3030
[email protected]
Kelly Thomas
(440) 338-1733
[email protected]
American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
Caron Gavrish
(724) 814-3140
[email protected]
51
resources
Calendar of events
April 2015
12–17 UHTCIII: Ultra-High-
June 2015
19–25 The XIV Int’l Conference on
the Physics of Non-Crystalline Solids–
14–19 CMCEE: 11th Int’l Symposium on Niagara Falls, N.Y.; PNCS-XIV.com
Temperature Ceramics – Materials for
Extreme Environment Applications
III – Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast,
Queensland, Australia; www.engconf.org
Ceramic Materials and Components for
Energy and Environmental Applications
– Hyatt Regency, Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada; www.ceramics.org
16 2015 Toledo Glass and Ceramic
21–25 ECerS 2015: 14 Int’l
Conference of the European Ceramic
Society – Toledo, Spain; www.
ecers2015.org
Award Dinner and Presentation – Toledo
Club, Toledo, Ohio; www.ceramics.org
20–23 Int’l Conference and Exhibition
on Ceramic Interconnect and Ceramic
Microsystems Technologies – Fraunhofer
Institute Center, Dresden, Germany;
http://www.ikts.fraunhofer.de/en/
Events/cicmt_2015.html
20–24 42nd Int’l Conference on
Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films
– San Diego, Calif.; www2.avs.org/conferences/icmctf
28–30 Ceramics Expo 2015 – I-X
Center, Cleveland, Ohio; www.
ceramicsexpousa.com
May 2015
4–6 Clay 2015: Structural Clay
Products Division Meeting in conjunction
with National Brick Research Center –
Denver, Colo.; www.ceramics.org
th
30–July 3 5th European PEFC & H2
Forum 2015 – Culture and Convention
Centre, Lucerne, Switzerland; www.
EFCF.com
July 2015
7–10
ICCCI2015: 5th Int’l HighQuality Advanced Materials Conference
– Fujiyoshida City, Japan; http://
ceramics.ynu.ac.jp/iccci2015/index.html
20–22 Cements Division Annual
Meeting – Kansas State University,
Manhattan, Kan.; www.ceramics.org
October 2015
4–8 MS&T15, combined with
ACerS 117th Annual Meeting – Greater
Columbus Convention Center,
Columbus, Ohio; www.matscitech.org
20–23 CERAMITEC 2015 – Messe
Munich, Munich, Germany; www.
ceramitec.de
November 2015
2–5 76th GPC: 76th Glass Problems
Conference – Greater Columbus
Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio;
www.glassproblemsconference.org
May 2016
18–22 WBC2016: 10th World
Biomaterials Congress– Montreal,
Canada; www.wbc2016.org
26–31 SOFC-XIV: 14th Int’l Symposium
on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells – Glasgow,
Scotland; www.electrochem.org/meetings/satellite/glasgow/
11–14 Microstrucutral Characterization
of Aerospace Materials and Coatings –
Long Beach Convention Center, Long
Beach, Calif.; www.asminternational.
org/web/ims-2015/home
August 2015
23–26 COM 2015: 54th Annual
April 28-30, 2015
Cleveland, Ohio
17 ACerS Art, Archaeology, and
30–September 4
The manufacturing
tradeshow for advanced
ceramic materials and
technologies
Conservation Science Division Workshop,
“What’s New in Ancient Glass Research”
– Hyatt Regency Miami, Miami, Fla.;
www.ceramics.org/gomd-dgg
17–21 ACerS GOMD–DGG Joint
Annual Meeting – Miami, Fla.; www.
ceramics.org
23–26 ITSC 2015: Int’l Thermal Spray
Conference and Exposition – Long
Beach Convention Center, Long Beach,
Calif.; www.asminternational.org/web/
itsc-2015/home
52
Conference of Metallurgists – Toronto,
Ontario, Canada; www.metsoc.org
PACRIM 11:
11th Pacific Rim Conference on Ceramic
and Glass Technology – JeJu Island,
Korea; www.ceramics.org
September 2015
15–18 UNITECR 2015 – Hofburg
Congress Center, Vienna, Austria;
www.unitecr2015.org
20–23 Int’l Commission on Glass Annual
Meeting – Centara Grand at CentralWorld,
Bangkok, Thailand; www.icglass.org
15RED denote new entry in
20in
Dates
n
bitio ip
i
h
x
thise issue.
h
s
r
onso ities
& sp in
n
u
Entries
BLUE
denote ACerS
ort
opp
n
e
events.
p
o
now
denotes meetings that ACerS
cosponsors, endorses, or other
wise cooperates in organizing.
www.ceramics.org | American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3
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American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 3 | www.ceramics.org
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April 2015
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55
deciphering the discipline
Kara Luitjohan
Guest columnist
While looking for an interesting technical elective to round out my senior
year of undergraduate studies at Purdue
University, I stumbled upon a class titled
“Energy Policy and Nanotechnology in
Emerging Economies.” At the time, I
never could have guessed how much of
an impact the class would make throughout my graduate studies.
The class collaborated with
Engineering Projects in Community
Service (EPICS), a Purdue program that
partners undergraduate student teams
with community service and education
organizations to solve engineering-based
problems. The class overall aimed to
start an EPICS program in Colombia,
with an initial project of bringing solarpowered electricity to two developing
communities in Chocó, located in western Colombia.
Students from various universities across Colombia—including
Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad
EAFIT, Universidad Technologica
del Chocó, and Universidad Católica
del Norte—along with students from
Purdue University traveled to Medellín,
Colombia, for a workshop to kick-start
the collaboration. The trip offered
me my first opportunity to travel outside of the United States and to work
alongside students from vastly different
backgrounds and cultures. Despite my
excitement for the experience, I did not
anticipate how many valuable lessons I
would learn.
Besides language barriers, a number
of other issues surfaced when the team
explored implementing new technologies
in the community. A developing com-
56
Credit: K. Luitjohan
Engineering life
lessons in emerging
economies
Purdue University students visiting Universidad EAFIT in Medellín, Colombia.
munity provides a number of challenges,
so the group had to hone its focus. If the
project was too focused, the overall goal
could be forgotten; if the project was
too broad, the problem could become
overwhelming. Developing the correct
focus is a fine balancing act that had to
be considered at all points throughout
project design.
The project also had to determine
and align the objectives of each key
player to be successful. To build a relationship with the local community, project leaders focused on building trust by
getting the community directly engaged
in the design process. Everyone had
to keep an open mind to cultural and
educational differences. As outsiders in
the community, the team had to try to
integrate into the community’s culture,
rather than vice versa. When it came
time to educate the community about
the new technology, both groups shared
information—the team learned just as
much from the community as the community learned from the team.
These lessons align with what it takes
to be successful in graduate school.
When embarking on a graduate research
project, the question at hand seems
like a huge problem nested within
a knowledge vacuum. Although the
overall project is intimidating and overwhelming, it is best to start with baby
steps—focusing on one small problem at
a time. However, the overarching goal
must stay in mind so that the small steps
lead down the correct path. A good advisor–advisee relationship is an advantage,
because knowing the objectives and
expectations keeps the project moving
smoothly and helps students reach graduation in a timely manner.
My advice: If you ever get the chance
to work with other cultures, abroad or at
home, do it! When working with others,
keep an open mind—you can learn just
as much from them as they can learn
from you, culturally and educationally.
You never know how much you will
learn or when those lessons will help you
down the road.
Kara Luitjohan is finishing her
master’s degree while beginning work
on her doctoral degree in materials
science and engineering at Purdue
University. She is currently president
of the graduate student association
in the MSE department. Kara is passionate about exciting younger students about science and engineering
and enjoys reading, cheering on the
Packers, and ballet dancing. n
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Where Business and Manufacturing Meet Strategy
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