In today’s world, pure ceramics are not enough to meet the advanced requirements of various industries. Therefore, special ceramics and metal alloys are being used to address the growing needs and wants of people in several sectors.
Please read this blog until the end to learn more about ceramic metals and metal alloys, their applications, cost comparisons, and advanced ceramics.
Some materials are listed below to help you better understand ceramics and alloys. The task is to classify each material as an alloy or a ceramic:
Brick, Bronze, Tile, Glass, Brass, Steel
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Brick: Brick is a ceramic because it is made up of clay.
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Bronze: Bronze is an alloy of Copper and Tin.
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Tile: Tile is a ceramic because it is made up of clay.
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Glass: Glass is a ceramic because it is made with ceramic materials.
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Brass: Brass is an alloy of Copper and Zinc.
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Steel: Steel is an alloy of Iron and Carbon.
CERAMIC vs METAL
“Is ceramic a metal?” Let us understand this further. Ceramic is not a metal. It is made up of mixing clay, water, and other organic materials and gives the desired shape. It is then glazed and at last, sintering takes place. Sintering is done to make the ceramics hard by baking them at high temperatures in the oven.
Special Ceramics
Special ceramics are known for their great strength, durability, and high-temperature resistance. They are named special ceramics because they can bear harsh environments without losing their qualities. The ceramic hardness Mohs is generally 5-6 for hard ceramics and 2-3 for soft ceramics. There are various types of special ceramics such as:
1 Niobium Carbide (NbC): Niobium Carbide is the popular hardest technical compound in the market. It is perfect for industries that require machining applications and wear protection. This material also offers great chemical stability, high-pressure, and high-temperature resistance.
2 Hafnium Carbide (HfC): This compound has great thermal, mechanical, and electronic properties. It is shiny, ductile material and also corrosion-resistant. Hafnium carbide is used in the manufacturing of electrical components, and hard coatings.
3 Silicon Nitride (Si3N4): It offers great strength and can bear high temperatures easily. Silicon Nitride is the most stable ceramic material. They are corrosion-resistant, wear-resistant, and oxidation-resistant. It is generally used in jewelry, cutting tools, and medical fields.
4 Silicon Carbide (SiC): Silicon carbide offers strength in high temperatures, great hardness, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance.
They are used in the automobile industry, mechanical industry, space technology, and information electronics.
5 Oxide Ceramics: These include materials like aluminum oxides and zirconium oxides. They are mainly used in the medical industry and electronic devices. The cutting materials made from oxide ceramics are best for machining without the use of cooling lubricants.
Ceramic Cost Comparison
It is essential to compare the cost of various ceramics to ensure that you utilize the best ceramics that are cost-effective. Here is the list of cost comparisons of the special ceramics:
1 Niobium Carbide: The cost of niobium carbide powder is $226/kg.
2 Hafnium Carbide: The 25g of hafnium carbide costs Rs 39,069.
3 Silicon Nitride: The micro powder of silicon nitride costs you Rs 27/g.
4 Silicon Carbide: The nanopowder of silicon carbide costs you Rs 7500/kg.
5 Oxide Ceramics: Brown aluminum oxide costs Rs 55/kg, red iron oxide powder costs Rs 300/kg, manganese dioxide powder costs Rs 510/kg, and white aluminum oxide powder costs Rs 82/kg.
Advanced Ceramics
The advanced ceramic materials offer you a range of technical ceramics. These include boron nitride, zirconia, silicon carbide, and alumina. They are corrosion-resistant, have chemical stability, have high-temperature stability, and have great electrical insulation.
It has several applications and is popularly used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, electronics, environmental, medical, semiconductor, and security.
Boron Nitride costs you Rs 20,999/kg, Zirconia costs Rs 21,992/kg, Silicon Carbide abrasive micron powder costs you Rs 707/kg, and STRC-High Alumina costs Rs 789/kg.
Metal Alloys
Metal alloys are a combination of various metals or metals with non-metals to make the output stronger and long-lasting. There are various types of metal alloys. Some of them are as follows:
1 Ceramic Titanium Alloy: The main quality of titanium alloys is that they are not affected by environmental damage or pollutants, and retain their strength even in unpleasant environments. The hardness of the titanium Mohs scale is 6. Ceramic Titanium Alloys are hard, brittle, corrosion and heat resistant. They are popularly used in making cutting tools, engines, heat exchangers, and forming dies.
Is titanium a conductive metal?
The answer to this question is that TItanium is not a conductive metal. It possesses a conductivity of 3.1%. Therefore, you must avoid the use of titanium where the conductivity of metal is required.
2 Brass Alloy: The brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. It consists of 33% of zinc and 67% of copper. The brass Mohs scale is 3. The brass alloy offers you great strength, durability, corrosion resistance, and longevity. It conducts heat, low melting point, and exhibits low friction. Brass alloy can conduct electricity well. They are used in fittings and pipes, mechanical components, electrical components, musical instruments, and architectural purposes.
3 Aluminium Alloy: In this alloy the main component is aluminium and the rest includes other elements such as copper, tin, and magnesium. It is essential to choose the combination of the best elements to achieve high strength. The Mohs hardness aluminum is 2.75. Aluminum alloys can conduct electricity. It is used in industries such as aerospace, automotive, building, electronic engineering, construction, and many more.
4 Stainless Steel Alloy: It is an alloy of iron, chromium, nickel, and other materials. Various metals are added to stainless steel alloys to improve strength, and high-temperature resistance, and enhance weldability and formability. Stainless steel is corrosion-resistant and offers high strength. It also has benefits such as being easy to clean and recyclable. Stainless steel can conduct electricity but not as well as other metals such as copper and aluminum. It offers 5.5-6.3 hardness on the Mohs scale. They are used in automotive, medical technology, transportation, aircraft construction, and food catering industry.
5 Bronze Alloy: This is an alloy of copper and tin. It consists of 12% tin and 88% of copper. It has high ductility, is durable, and brittle. Bronze also offers thermal and electrical conductivity. There are various types of bronze alloys such as aluminum bronze, tin bronze, phosphor bronze, copper nickel, etc. Bronze alloys have a hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale. It has a lower hardness value than the ceramic hardness scale which is 6. They are mainly used in architecture, sculptors, electrical systems, valve components, and many more.
What are Metal Ceramics?
Metal ceramics are the materials formed with metals and ceramics. Due to this, they possess the qualities of both metal and ceramics. Metals offer thermal stability, thermal conductivity, and toughness as well as wear and corrosion resistance, and high-temperature tolerance of ceramics.
Ceramic with metal has various applications due to their endless qualities. They are utilized in aerospace, aircraft industry, and biomedical composites such as bone cement, bone fixation plates, and gas turbine components.
Metal Cost Comparison
It is essential to compare the cost of metals to select the best materials which are also efficient. Here is the list of cost comparisons of the popular metals:
1 Ceramic Titanium Alloy: Titanium and alloys are available at the price of Rs 3600/kg. Titanium alloy strips cost you Rs 900/kg. The titanium alloy BT-20 round bar will cost you Rs 350/kg.
2 Brass Alloy: They are priced differently for various types of alloy. The brass alloy costs you Rs 2500/kg for artificial jewelry. The industry brass alloy is Rs 475/kg. The brass alloy rods will cost you Rs 570/kg.
3 Aluminum Alloy: The Marine Grade Aluminum Alloy in the form of sheets costs you Rs 350/kg. The Rectangular Silver Aluminum Alloy Plate 7075 cost Rs 764/kg. The Aluminum Sheet Metal Alloy will cost you Rs 280/kg.
4 Stainless Steel Alloy: The price of 304 stainless steel ranges from Rs 250/kg-Rs 320/kg, price of 316 stainless steel ranges from Rs 320/kg-Rs 390/kg.
5 Bronze Alloys: The cost of C62500 bronze aluminum is Rs 780/kg. Aluminum bronze hollow bars cost Rs 950/kg. Tin bronze alloy casting would cost you Rs 1000/kg, and C90810 High Tin Bronze costs you 990/kg.
Conclusion
After reading this blog you must have understood the comparison between special ceramics and metal alloys. Both of them have their unique properties and applications. Each ceramic and metal has a different hardness on the Mohs scale. The metal ceramics offer the properties of both metal and ceramics. You can also compare the metals based on their costs to choose the best that fits your requirements.