Technical ceramics have excellent mechanical strength, high hardness, wear resistance, high temperature resistance and relatively low density. In terms of conductivity, it is an excellent material as an electrical and thermal insulator.
After a thermal shock, i.e. the sudden heating that forces the ceramic material to expand, the ceramic can withstand sudden changes in temperature without cracking, breaking or loss of mechanical strength.
At Steelceram we are specialists in technical ceramics applied to large market sectors: automotive, metallurgy, paper industry, electronics…
Thanks to the research and innovation processes we carry out, at Steelceram we have different ceramic materials – Zircon, Zircon Plus, Silicon Nitride, Alumina… – to make highly efficient industrial parts for applications subjected to extreme conditions. We create tailor-made ceramic solutions for our customers to increase process efficiency and minimise production costs.
What factors affect thermal shock resistance?
Thermal shock or thermal collapse is the breakdown of any solid material due to a sudden change in temperature. The change in temperature can be a decrease or an increase, but in any case it must be a drastic change.
This leads to mechanical stresses between the outside (shell) and the inside area (core), as a material heats up or cools down faster on the outside than on the inside. The material is permanently damaged if the temperature difference exceeds a certain value. This critical temperature value is influenced in the following way:
- The coefficient of linear thermal expansion
- The thermal conductivity
- Poisson’s ratio
- Modulus of elasticity
- Stiffness
At Steelceram we have various technical ceramic materials to be able to offer specific solutions according to the needs of our customers. To solve the thermal shock in Steelceram we work with Silicon Nitride, specially developed to resist temperature changes. Used in extreme situations, it is capable of resisting a thermal shock of up to 650ºC difference.
Our know-how and exhaustive quality control allows us to achieve demanding manufacturing processes, resulting in state-of-the-art products specially designed for each type of application.
Contact Steelceram if you are looking for high performance ceramic solutions.
