Do Ceramic Materials Have A Hard Trait

Michael pfeifer in materials enabled designs 2009.

Do ceramic materials have a hard trait. Ceramic materials are brittle hard strong in compression and weak in shearing and tension. They typically possess high melting points low electrical and thermal conductivity values and high compressive strengths. Porcelain has been described as being completely vitrified hard impermeable even before glazing white or artificially coloured translucent except when of considerable thickness and resonant. Ceramics are strong in compression and weak in shearing and tension which make them challenging to saw grind lap and polish.

Ceramic powder consists of ceramic particles and additives that improve a powder s ease of use during component fabrication. The ionic and covalent bonds of ceramics are responsible for many unique properties of these materials such as high hardness high melting points low thermal expansion and good chemical resistance but also for some undesirable characteristics foremost being brittleness which leads to fractures unless the material is toughened by reinforcing agents or by other means. They withstand chemical erosion that occurs in other materials subjected to acidic or caustic environments. Additives include a binding agent to hold the powder together after compaction and a release agent to enable a compacted component to be easily removed from the compaction die.

Also they are generally hard and brittle with very good chemical and thermal stability.