CERAMIC PROPERTIES

Physical, Chemical & Mechanical

Material properties
 The way the materials respond to the
environment
• Basic properties: physical, mechanical &
chemical properties
• Mechanical properties relate deformation
to an applied load or force; examples
include elastic modulus and strength.
• Electrical properties, such as electrical
conductivity and resistivity, the stimulus is
an electric field.
• Thermal behavior of solids can be
represented in terms of heat capacity and
thermal conductivity.
• Magnetic properties
demonstrate the response of a
material to the application of a
magnetic field.
• Optical properties, the stimulus
is electromagnetic or light
radiation
• Deteriorative characteristics
relate to the chemical reactivity
of materials
Physical Properties
• Mass Properties:
-Density in general, ceramics are lighter than metals and heavier than polymers
- Non-crystalline materials are less dense than crystalline ones

• Thermal Properties:
- governed by the type of bonding (covalent to ionic) and number of bonds present
-Melting temperatures - higher than for most metals
-Thermal conductivities - lower than for metals; but the range of values is greater, so some
ceramics are insulators while others are conductors

• Electrical properties:
-Electrical conductivity (insulator or semi conductor)
Chemical Properties
• Chemical testing tells about composition & chemical stability
• Chemical / Electrochemical corrosion properties:
• Very few under normal circumstances.
• Solubility:
• Soluble in certain strong acids (HF) and strong bases
• Ceramics generally have good chemical resistance to weak acids and weak bases.
• However, very strong acids or strong bases tend to produce ion exchange reactions
and dissolve the structures.
Mechanical Properties
• defined as the modes of deformation and modes of failure
• The degree to which a structure deforms or strains depends on the
magnitude of an imposed stress
• Mode of deformation elastic and plastic deformation
• Mode of failure  ductile and brittle
Concept of . Stress-Strain Behavior
• Stress the resistance of a material when subjected to external loading.
• Stress F/A
• Different types of forces or ‘‘stresses’’ that are encountered in dealing with
mechanical properties of materials
• can be tensile, compressive, shear or torsional.
• stronger the material the greater the load it can withstand.
• Strain the change of length per unit length
• Stress as a cause; strain as the effect
Elastic deformation
• Deformation in which stress and strain are
proportional is called elastic deformation
• a plot of stress (ordinate) versus strain (abscissa)
results in a linear relationship;
• The slope of this linear relationship E is the
modulus of elasticity, or Young’s modulus.
• This modulus may be thought of as stiffness, or
a material’s resistance to elastic deformation.
• The greater the modulus, the stiffer the
material, or the smaller the elastic strain that
results from the application of a given stress.
 Elastic deformation

• nonpermanent
•  when the applied load is released, the piece
returns to its original shape.
• Application of the load corresponds to moving
from the origin up and along the straight line. Upon
release of the load, the line is traversed in the
opposite direction, back to the origin
• On an atomic scale, macroscopic elastic strain is
manifested as small changes in the interatomic
spacing and the stretching of interatomic bonds.
• As a consequence, the magnitude of the modulus
of elasticity is a measure of the resistance to
separation of adjacent atoms, that is, the
interatomic bonding forces
Elastic Deformation
1. Initial 2. Small load 3. Unload

bonds
stretch

return to
initial

Elastic means reversible.
F
some materials (e.g., gray cast iron,
concrete, and many polymers) for show
Non linear elastic portion of the stress–
strain curve

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• Values of the modulus of elasticity for ceramic materials are
about the same as for metals; for polymers they are lower
• These differences are a direct consequence of the different
types of atomic bonding in the three materials types.
• Furthermore, with increasing temperature, the modulus of
elasticity diminishes
Plastic deformation

• For some materials, elastic

deformation persists only to certain
value of strains
• As the material is deformed beyond
this point, the stress is no longer
proportional to strain and
permanent, nonrecoverable, or
plastic deformation occurs
• permanent
 Plastic deformation
• From an atomic perspective, plastic deformation
corresponds to the breaking of bonds with original
atom neighbors and then reforming bonds with new
neighbors
• large numbers of atoms or molecules move relative to
one
• Plastic deformation corresponds to the motion of
large numbers of dislocations.
• net movement of large numbers of atoms in response
to an applied stress
• During this process, interatomic bonds must be
ruptured and then reformed.
• After removal of the stress, the large number of
atoms that have relocated, do not return to original
position.
Plastic Deformation
1. Initial 2. Small load 3. Unload

linear linear
elastic elastic
Plastic means permanent.

plastic
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• Slip  The process by which plastic deformation is produced by dislocation
motion
• Macroscopic plastic deformation simply corresponds to permanent
deformation that results from the movement of dislocations, or slip, in
response to an applied shear stress
• When the shear stress is applied plane A is forced to the right; this in turn
pushes the top halves of planes B, C, D, and so on, in the same direction (a);
Interatomic bonds of plane B are severed along the shear plane, and the
upper half of plane B becomes the extra halfplane as plane A links up with
the bottom half of plane B (Figure b). This process is subsequently repeated
for the other planes
FRACTURE
• Ceramic materials are somewhat limited in applicability by their mechanical properties
• A fracture is separation of material into two or more pieces under the action of stress
• Simple fracture is the separation of a body into two or more pieces in response to an
imposed stress that is static (i.e., constant or slowly changing with time) and at
temperatures that are low relative to the melting temperature of the material.
• The applied stress may be tensile, compressive, shear, or torsional;
• Based on the ability of a material to experience plastic deformation, two fracture
modes : ductile and brittle.
Ductile
• It is a measure of the degree of plastic deformation that has been sustained
at fracture
• exhibit substantial plastic deformation with high energy absorption before
fracture
• the process proceeds relatively slowly as the crack length is extended
• Such a crack is often said to be stable.
• That is, it resists any further extension unless there is an increase in the
applied stress.
• Ductile materials will withstand large strains before the specimen
ruptures;
• brittle materials fracture at much lower strains. The yielding region
for ductile materials often takes up the majority of the stress-strain
curve, whereas for brittle materials it is nearly nonexistent
• Ductile materials exhibit large strains and yielding before they fail
• The energy absorbed (per unit volume) in the tensile test is simply
the area under the stress strain curve
• Strain (sb x) vs stress (sb y)
• The fracture process normally
occurs in several stages :
a) necking begins
b) small cavities, or microvoids, form
in the interior of the cross section,
c) Next, as deformation continues,
these microvoids enlarge, come
together, and coalesce to form a
elliptical crack, which has its long
d) Finally, fracture ensues by the rapid
propagation of a crack around the
outer perimeter of the neck (), by
shear deformation at an angle of
about with the tensile axis—this is
the angle at which the shear stress
is a maximum
Brittle
• a material that experiences very little or no
plastic deformation with low energy
absorption upon fracture
• Such cracks may be said to be unstable, and
crack propagation, once started, will continue
spontaneously without an increase in
magnitude of the applied stress
• Brittle fracture takes place without any
appreciable deformation, and the cracks may
spread extremely rapid crack propagation.
• The direction of crack motion is very nearly
perpendicular to the direction of the applied
tensile stress and yields a relatively flat
fracture surface
• A brittle material should not be considered as
lacking in strength. It only shows the lack of
plasticity
• Ceramics tend to be rigid and brittle (i.e., not capable of much plastic
deformation).
• However, their properties depend both on temperature and on the amount
of crystallinity.
• Lower temperatures and higher crystallinity content tend to increase the
modulus and the brittleness.
• Crystalline and non-crystalline phases behave differently at low and high
temperatures.
• At low temperatures, both types of phases are brittle.
• At high temperatures, crystalline phases are brittle but non-crystalline ones
are ductile
 Brittle fracture of ceramics
• At room temperature, both crystalline and noncrystalline ceramics almost
always fracture before any plastic deformation can occur in response to an
applied tensile load.
• The brittle fracture process consists of the formation and propagation of cracks
through the cross section of material in a direction perpendicular to the applied
load.
• Crack growth in crystalline ceramics may be either transgranular (i.e., through
the grains) or intergranular (i.e., along grain boundaries);
• for transgranular fracturecracks propagate along specific crystallographic (or
cleavage) planes, planes of high atomic density.
• For most brittle crystalline materials, crack propagation corresponds to the
successive and repeated breaking of atomic bonds along specific
crystallographic planes such a process is termed cleavage.
• These stress raisers may be minute surface or interior cracks (microcracks),
internal pores, and grain corners, which are virtually impossible to
eliminate or control.
• For example, even moisture and contaminants in the atmosphere can
introduce surface cracks in freshly drawn glass fibers; these cracks
eleteriously affect the strength.
• A stress concentration at a flaw tip can cause a crack to form, which may
propagate until the eventual failure.
Other mechanical prop.
POROSITY
• the precursor material is in the
form of a powder.
• Subsequent to compaction or
forming of these powder particles
into the desired shape, pores or
void spaces will exist between the
powder particles.
• During the ensuing heat
treatment, much of this porosity
will be eliminated; however, it is
often the case that this pore
elimination
• process is incomplete and some
residual porosity will remain
HARDNESS
• how much energy it takes to deform
(stretch, compress, bend, etc.) a material.
• If the material takes a lot of energy to
change only a little, it is said to be hard.
• Conversely, if only a little amount of energy
is needed to make a lot of shape change,
then the material is soft.
• One beneficial mechanical property of
ceramics is their hardness, which is often
utilized when an abrasive or grinding
action is required; in fact, the hardest
known materials are ceramics
• Large hardness means:
--resistance to plastic deformation or
cracking in compression.
--better wear properties
• Quantitative hardness techniques have been developed where a
small indenter is forced into the surface of a material.
• The depth or size of the indentation is measured, and
corresponds to a hardness number.
• So the geometry of the indenter tip and the crystal orientation
(and therefore the microstructure) will affect the hardness
• The softer the material, the larger and deeper the indentation
(and lower hardness number).
TOUGHNESS
• total energy has to be used before a material breaks, or
• the ability of a material to absorb energy up to fracture
• If the material takes a lot of energy (it may change shape)
before breaking, then it is a tough material. If only a little
energy is needed to break the material it is weak or brittle
• For a material to be tough, it must display both strength
and ductility, should withstand both high stresses and
high strain
• often, ductile materials are tougher than brittle ones.
Toughness

Lower toughness: ceramics

Higher toughness: metals

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