The Investigation and Quantification of Ceramic Powder Stickiness

McLaughlin, Brandon W.

Student Work

The Investigation and Quantification of Ceramic Powder Stickiness

Öffentlich

Sticking poses a constant problem to several pressing operations; from glass forming to pill manufacturing, its potential to ruin the product makes it a hazard that must be managed accordingly. This is especially true in the pressing of green bodies for ceramics manufacturing, where it can potentially ruin entire batches. To account for such an inconvenience and minimize its threat to manufacturing operations, the contributing factors must be determined. Only once the root causes are known can effective measures be taken to alleviate this concern. To do this, several potential contributors, including the number of presses and the temperature of operation, are varied in order to determine what influences this issue. The focus of this investigation is on a mixture composed mainly of alumina and zirconia, common in ceramics for a wide range of applications. A model press was employed in this work, with the weight of the sample taken before and after each pressing, with the difference being in the amount that stuck within the press. DSC was also used to determine the glass transition temperature of the binder mixture. It was determined that a higher die temperature correlated to a greater mass loss in the die, with it becoming difficult to separate the die and continue pressing at times due to sticking from ceramic powder. Further influential factors were the binder package composition, the number of pellets formed before the die was cleaned, and the ambient humidity.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator