Engineering Ceramics Laboratory

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Research Outline

Technologies that will allow controlled and accurate modification of structural elements composing ceramics are being developed. In this way, a pre-determined microstructure can be arranged to attain a specified objective, and new and balanced integration of properties can be obtained. These new ceramic materials, called Synergy Ceramics, will present an outstanding balance of diverse mechanical properties, such as strength and toughness.

Research Topics

1. Synergy Ceramics
2. Ceramic Sintering Process Far From Equilibrium
3. Non Stationary State Processing Technologies for Ceramics

Staffs

Chief Researcher	Kiyoshi HIRAO	e-mail : hirao@nirin.go.jp
	Koji WATARI
	Manuel E. BRITO
	Yu-ichi YOSHIZAWA
	Takaaki NAGAOKA
	Masaki YASUOKA
	Hae Jin HWANG
	You ZHOU

Research Description

1) By carrying out structural control at diverse scale levels, we succeeded in producing a material in which strength and toughness could be improved simultaneously, overcoming the widely accepted point of view that strengthening could be attained only at the expense of toughness, and the other way around. The obtained materials (alumina, silicon nitride) presented highest values of strength and toughness reported in the literature.

2) Conventionally, silicon nitride ceramics have been considered poor heat conductors. By imparting microstructural anisotropy to these materials, their thermal conductivity could be improved up to that of brass.

3) Silicon nitride compares unfavorably with metals in elasticity. To overcome this limitation we have designed an alternate disposition of densified and porous layers, and succeeded in conferring a degree of elasticity to silicon nitride comparable to that of metals.

 

 

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