June 2001 - Volume 80, No. 6 Manufacturing/Engineering Features
Nanosized Alumina
Fibers
Exciting new applications are being discovered for nanosized materials that are
produced by the electroexplosion of wire. Frederick Tepper, Argonide Corp., Sanford, Fla., Marat Lerner, Design Technology
Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia, David Ginley, National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colo.
Capillary Extrusion Rheometry in Ceramics-Processing Technology
Failure to consider the flow properties of ceramic materials can lead to inefficient
processing, unexpected product properties and disastrous production-line failure. R.E. Carter, Magna Projects & Instruments Ltd., Mountsorrel, U.K.
How Mixing Affects the Rheology of Refractory Castables, Part 1
Refractory castable mixing is significantly influenced by particle-size distribution
and water-addition method used. R.G. Pileggi, A.R. Studart and V.C. Pandolfelli, Materials Engineering Dept.,
Federal Universtiy of São Carlos, Brazil, J. Gallo, Alcoa-Brazil
Avoiding Quartz in Alumina Porcelain for High-Voltage Insulators, Part 1
Development of ceramic materials for high-voltage insulators that combine properties
of high strength and high consolidation demands a microstructure free of major
inhomogeneities that contains a maximum of crystalline interlocking components
but no quartz. J. Liebermann Siemens, Redwitz, Germany
Porcelain Tile Composition Effect on Phase Formation and End Products
Results are presented of a study to determine how the nature and proportion of
each raw material in the starting mixture affects fired porcelain tile phase
contents, and to attempt to relate these phases to end-product whiteness and
mechanical strength. E. Sanchez, M.J. Orts, J. Garcia-Ten and V. Cantavella, Institute of Ceramics
Technology, Association of Investigation of the Ceramic Industries, University
of Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
Advanced Materials and Powders Digest
Polymer-Plasticized Ceramic Extrusion, Part 2
A better understanding of the microscale mechanisms of polymer-plasticized extrudate
flow is required to develop ceramic extrusion technology. Experimental methods
for quantifying plastic properties of extrudates under conditions of shear and
extensional flow are needed. John F. Wright Jr. and James S. Reed, NYSC, Alfred, N.Y.
