Info about Ceramics
Ceramics
Ceramics are inorganic solids made by heating and then cooling the material. Ceramics can be a crystalline object or they can be glass. Most of the time ceramics are crystalline.
Pottery items that were made from clay were the earliest ceramics. The clay was either used by itself or mixed with other substances and hardened by placing it in a fire. Ceramics were later glazed and then fired to make a shiny and smooth color surface.
Now ceramics are used for both industrial and ceramic building products and they are also used as objects of art. New ceramic materials were developed in the 20th century to be used for conduction by electrical engineers.
The word ceramic comes for the Greek word keramikos, which means of pottery or for pottery. The word was first mentioned by the Mycenaean Greeks. It can be used as an adjective or a noun.
There are four main types of ceramics. There are the structural kinds that include bricks, roof and floor tiles, and pipes. There are refractories that are things like gas fire radiants, glass making crucibles, and kiln linings. Whitewares include dishes, pottery, wall tiles, and toilets, Technical ceramics are also called Engineering, Advanced, and Special. These include tiles used for the space shuttle, bullet proof attire, gas nozzles, jet engines, and missile cones. The raw material for this type of ceramics does not include clay.
There are many applications of ceramics and they will be discussed in the following paragraphs. Here are just a few of the uses of ceramics in our world today.
Ceramics are used in making knives. The blades of ceramic knives will stay sharp for a much longer time than a blade that is made out of steel. However, the ceramic blade is more brittle and it can be easily broken if it is dropped on a hard floor.
Many motor sports make use of ceramic products because they are a lightweight insulating coating. One of the main places they are used is on manifold pipes.
Two types of ceramics, boron carbide and alumina have been used to make bullet proof vests. The can repel high caliber rifle bullets. The same kind of material is used to provide protections for the cockpits in some military planes. This material works well because it is very light in weight.
Many watches have high tech ceramic plates. Watchmakers like this material because it does not weigh much, it is resistant to scratches, it is durable, and it is smooth to the touch.
Ceramics parts for gas turbine engines are currently being developed. The ceramic will be better than the metal alloy that is currently used because it will not require heating and cooling. This could make the turbines work more efficiently and give the airplane a longer range for a tank of fuel.
People often think of ceramics as simply an art form, but their use goes way beyond that. They are essential for the space program, air planes, and even in making light weight bullet proof vests.