Ceramic, Polymer and Composite Materials

Inorganic and non-metallic Bonding is either ionic or

materials (mostly oxide of various metals) covalent

What is Ceramic Materials?

Brittle in nature, good

Widely used for household
items, electronics, electrical, communication, tools, as well as in many other industrial uses.
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corrosion and wear resistance.

Crystal Structures of Ceramic Materials

Compared to metallic materials, crystal structures of ceramic materials are more complex. Anions give main structure, cations sit at convenient positions.

Other Examples: MgO, MnS, LiF, FeO

Other Examples: ZnTe, SiC, etc

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Phase Diagrams: Ternary Phase Diagrams

SS: Solid solution, Mullite: Intermediate compound of silica and alumina

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 Non-crystalline ceramics Composed of various types of metallic oxides (mainly) Used for household containers, window, lenses, fibre glass, etc.

Glasses

 When amorphous glass is changed to crystalline one by The heat treatment is completed by formation small glassceramic grains through nucleation and growth process. controlled high temperature heat treatment.

Glass-Ceramics

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Properties and Uses of Glass-Ceramics

Better mechanical properties, low thermal expansion and

Good dielectric properties. Widely used as ovenware, tableware, oven window, electrnic As substrate for printed circuit boards, heat exchangers, etc.
Ceramics: Clay Products
packaging industries. shocks, high temperature properties, better biocompatability.

Main ingredient is natural clay. It is mixed with water and other After shaping, the product is dried, fired, glazed and so on. Main product groups are structural products (bricks, tiles,
sewer pipes) and whitewares (uses ???).
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ingredients to have a good plastic mass easy for shaping.

Ceramics: Refractory Products

High melting point materials inert to decoposition at high

Mostly inert at severe environment at high temperature. Wide variety of product, but main product is brick. Mainly used as furnace lining in steel and power generation
industries, glass factories, heat treatment furnaces, etc. temperature, good thermal insulating property.

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 Very high purity oxide with very little porosity. Main groups are alumina (tube furnace), magnesia (tube
furnace and other engineering products), beryllia, zirconia, silicon carbide (heating elements in furnaces), carbon and graphites (crucible for furnace), etc.

Special Refractories

Ceramics: Abrasive Products

Abrasive ceramics are used to wear or cut away of other

Uses: Grinding, polishing or lapping wheels.
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materials. Diamond, alumina, SiC, WC, silica sand, etc.

Cements: Mixture of Ceramic Materials

Cements: Several commercial products as cement, plaster of Special behaviours: When mixed with water they form paste, Might be mixed with other component as bricks, sand, stone, Very common cement is the portland cement, which is a
mixture of clay and lime bearing component (lime stone). The mixture is calcined and then ground.
etc. as per requirements. subsequently set and harden to form a rigid load bearing component. Here no firing is needed. paris, lime, etc.

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Advanced Ceramics

It is mechanical device composed of several electrical

Mechanical Components: Microsensors and microactuator. Microactuator then responses as positioning, moving, filtering,
pumping, etc. components on silicon substrate. All components are in micrometer dimensions.

Microelectromechanical System (MEMS)

Microsensors collect mechanical, thermal, chemical, optical and magnetic information.

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Optical Fibre

Made of high purity silica, free from minute levels of contaminants. Fully defect free that can absorb, scatter or attenuate light beam. Needs very advanced and high quality processing technique.
Optical Fibre in Communication

In metallic wire signal transfer is electronic, whereas in OF it is For simultaneous 24,000 telephone calls if we need 33 tons of
copper, then optical fibre it is possible from 0.1kg of OF materials. Diameter of OF is 5 to 100 micrometer.
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eletromagnetic or light radiation.

Ceramic Ball Bearing

In past beraing metals which are hard, strong, corrosion

Recently, Si3N4 has replaced many metallic components. Silicon nitride is inferior interms of tensile strength, so in many Silicon nitride is lighter (density 3.3) compared to steel (7.84).
So, hybride ball-bearing is lighter. cases ceramic balls and steel races are used in combination. This combination is known as hybrid bearing.

resistant were used to make ball and race components.

The modulus of elasticity of silicon nitride is 320 GPa, which is

200 GPa for steel. So, hybrid ball bearing is resistant to 30-40% higher speed compared to that of steel ball bearing system.

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Polymeric Materials

It is one type of hydrocarbon. Two gross categories: Natural and Natural: Wood, rubber, wool, cotton, leather, silk, etc. Synthetic: Synthetically produced, wide varieties, superior to
natural one.
Ethylene Acetylene

synthetic.

Saturated Polymer: Where double or triple covalent bond exists. Saturated: When elements have single bond. For further entry of
atom, one bonded atom must be replaced, as methane, ethane.
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Isomerism
Same composition with different atomic arrangement, butane.

Normal Butane Isobutane

Molecular Structures of Polymers

Linear Polymers: Here repeat unit is joined together end to end. Extensive Van der Waals bond is effective, very flexible, e.g. PE, PVC, PS, nylon, etc.
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 Besides end to end chains, side chains are also formed due to
Side chain formation reduces the density. Example: LDPE.
change in synthesis parameters.

Branched Polymers

Adjacent linear chains are joined by covalent bonds at various This is done by adding foreign atoms or molecules. Example:
Most of rubber is crosslinked in this way called vulcanization.
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Crosslinked Polymers

locations.

 Heavily crosslinked polymer is called network polymer. High temperature and good mechanical properties. Epoxy,
phenol-formaldehyde, etc.

Network Polymers

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Thermoplastic and Thermoset Polymers

Polymers which soften and liquefy on heating and solidify and

Thermoplastic Polymers

Most linear and branched polymers are thermoplastic. Generally

soft and recyclable. PE, PVC, PS, PP, etc.

harden on cooling.

Becomes permanently hard during processing and do not 10-50% bonds are branched. Stronger than thermoplastic
polymers, better thermal and dimensional stability.

Thermosetting Polymers

soften on heating Epoxy, phenol-formaldehyde, polyester, etc.

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 For better service properties two or more polymers are

Copolymers

May be various types, in general four types.

synthesized together.

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Applications of Various Polymeric Materials (Plastic)

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Elastomers

It has ability to be deformed to a large extent and can elastically

To be elastomers polymers must be amorphous, chain bond

rotation must be of free movement type, delayed onset of plasticity.

spring back during unloading because of crosslink driving force.

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Composite Materials

Composite is a multi-phase material, where each constituent Examples: 1. Pearlite composed of very hard and brittle In the present state composite is artificially made.
cementite and very soft and ductile ferrite. TS of cementite is 5000psi and for ferrite it is 40000psi. TS of peralite is 120,000psi, where a synergism is operative which difficult to explain.

phases contribute for required combination of unusual properties.

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 Matrix phase is continuous and surrounds the filler/reinforcing

Depending on required properties, reinforcing phases might be of
different shape, size, spatial distribution to fulfill the target. phase(s).

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Classification of Composites

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Large Particle Reinforced Composites

Fiber Reinforced Composites

For better property combination critical Critical length depends on diameter, tensile
and shear strength of the fiber.
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length of fiber is important.

Deformation Pattern in Fiber Reinforced Composites

Continuous Fiber : When L = 15Lc

Continuous, discontinuos and randomly oriented fibers

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Importance of Critical Length of Fiber in Composite

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Stress-strain Curves of Composite with Ductile Matrix and Brittle Fiber

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Elastic Behaviour in Longitudinal Loading

In the longitudinal direction

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Fiber and Matrix Phases of Composite

Various materials of different shape, size, distribution and

Matrix Phases might be metallic, ceramic or polymeric. Depending

on matrix phases composites are named as MMC, CMC or PMC.

concentration.

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