Thermal Analysis in the Ceramics and Glass Industry
The terms glass and ceramic hide a multitude of high-tech products that are used in a wide variety of fields. The variety ranges from simple window glass and decorative ceramics to high-performance materials that has limited similarity to the original materials.
High-performance ceramics or engineering ceramics occupy a special position, which is used wherever other materials reach their limits. There are multiple uses including but not limited to enormous loads, extreme temperatures, under power, or as an implant in the human body. However, ceramics can still be found in the kitchen in the form of ceramic pans or dishes for the microwave. The ceramic, in this case, is usually glazed to give the crystalline porous starting material a glassy, closed, and thus water-impermeable surface.
Even glass enjoys greater and greater popularity outside of the traditional range of applications. It has long since ceased to be processed only into drinking glasses, but also into safety glass, glass-ceramic cooktops or fiber-optic cables. Glass as a packaging is just as natural as glass water cookers, optical elements in astronomy, and in space travel.
Quality management is indispensable, since even the slightest deviations in the starting material and in the production process adversely affect the desired properties of glass and ceramic materials. Raw material testing and regular sampling are imperative as it is the only to determine when ceramic breaks or when a certain type of glass melts or burns.
Linseis manufacturers a large variety of Thermal Analysis Tools for the enhanced measurement of material properties. These properties include but are not limited to:
- Specific heat capacity determination (DSC PT1600)
- Thermal Expansion, glass transition, softening point and sintering behavior through Dilatometry (pushrod and non – contact optical)
- Thermal conductivity through Laser flash or Transient hot bridge
