What are ceramic carbides? Its Properties, Importance, And Industrial Usage

Ceramic carbide exhibits a wide range of remarkable properties and features, thus making it suitable for a various of uses.

Over the years, these impressive qualities have earned them usage in various industries, with many new industries also adopting them.

Let’s see why this is so.

What Are Ceramic Carbides?

So, what are ceramic carbides? And what’s all the fuss around them?

Carbide ceramics are a distinctive category of advanced ceramic materials.

They are made up of carbon and other partly metallic materials.

These materials have various remarkable features like resistance to wear, high thermal stability, they are very hard as well.

While ceramic carbide has gained wide usage in varipus industries, they are most common in industries that require:

1. High-performance materials that can perform well under extreme conditions.

2. Durable materials that last long, even with continuous/long-term usage.

Carbide ceramics are obtained through processing methods that include very high temperatures.

Common carbide ceramics examples are sintering and even hot pressing; this process enhances their performance and other mechanical properties.

These remarkable properties have gained them usage in applications like armor, cutting tools, the aerospace industry, and many more.

Lastly, there are various examples of carbide ceramics examples, such as silicon carbide, boron carbide, titanium carbide, tungsten carbide, etc.

Each of them is suitable for various specialized uses, depending on the materials needed.

Now that we’ve answered the question, what are ceramic carbides?

Let’s look at the uses and properties of ceramic carbides.

What Are The Use Cases And The Core Properties Of Ceramic Carbide?

As said earlier, carbide ceramics are actually a type of advanced ceramic materials, and they’re remarkable for their impressive properties.

These properties are mostly demanded and used in industries that need increased strength, are resistant to wear, and are durable.

This has made it very useful in various top industries that have a need for such materials.

Let’s look at the core five properties that make up ceramic carbide.

• Exceptional Hardness And Wear Resistance

The first most remarkable feature of ceramic carbide is the exceptional hardness and resistance to wear or stress.

In fact, some ceramic carbide examples, like silicon carbide, boron carbide, are some of the hardest materials.

With their hardness almost to the level of diamond.

Remarkable, isn’t it!

Due to this impressive hardness, ceramic carbides have gained usage in:

• Cutting materials that need to withstand friction and impact.

• Industrial machinery is where durable materials are needed and where surfaces become worn constantly.

• Abrasive materials, like sandpaper and as well as grinding wheels, where increased hardness is essential for removing material.

• High Thermal Stability And Heat Resistance

Aside from that, ceramic carbides are resistant to wear and are very hard, they can also withstand very high temperatures.

This makes them extremely useful in environments with very extreme temperatures, and you know what’s most unique about them?

Unlike metals, they do not deform when they are exposed to extreme heat, they perform well.

This feature is particularly useful in:

• Aerospace Industries, where components need to withstand the excessive heat that is generated during takeoff and re-entry as well.

• Furnace linings and kiln materials, here, there is a frequent exposure to excessive temperatures.

• Automotive Industries, here, there is a need for high-performance brake discs and heat shields.

These materials are exposed to intense heat during usage.

•  Corrosion And Chemical Resistance

Another remarkable property of ceramic carbides is that it doesn’t break down when exposed to chemicals or similar harsh materials.

This is unlike metals that deform and lose their integrity when they are exposed to chemicals or moisture.

These characteristics have made ceramic carbide very useful in industries where there’s a need for resistance to chemicals, for example:

• Chemical processing plants, here tools are constantly exposed to acidic substances.

• In medical Industries and tools, there is a need for materials that don’t react when in contact with the body.

• Marine industries, here, materials must be able to perform well even when exposed to saltwater and other harsh chemicals.

• High Strength And Mechanical Stability

While ceramic carbide is known for its hardness, it also has excellent strength and stability.

This gives them the ability to support a lot of loads without breaking or losing their integrity.

This specific feature is most important in places that have to do with things like:

• Structural applications, such as aerospace use cases and military armor.

Here there is a need for materials to endure forces with extreme impact.

• Bearings and mechanical seals, her,e hardness and toughness are a major requirement for tools to function efficiently.

• Industrial manufacturing equipment, here, components need to handle extreme stress and constant use.

• Excellent Electrical And Thermal Conductivity

While most traditional ceramics are electrical insulators, some carbide ceramics examples, like silicon carbide (SiC), exhibit excellent electrical conductivity.

This unique property allows ceramic carbides to be used in electronic and semiconductor applications, where high conductivity is required.

While you might have heard or read that many advanced ceramics are electric insulators, well, you read right.

However, certain carbide ceramics, examples as silicon carbide, have a stronger ability to conduct electricity.

This makes ceramic carbides a very important material in both electronic and other semiconductor applications.

Also, the high thermal conductivity characteristics that it has enable it to seamlessly transfer heat, thus making it indispensable in:

• Semiconductors and Electronic Uses, here, there is a need for perfect heat dissipation so as to prevent overheating.

• Radiators and Heat exchangers, here thermal management is an uncontested need.

• In high-end automotive components, here, thermal efficiency is needed for the engine to function better.

So now, we’ve answered the question What are ceramic carbides? You now know its meaning, uses, and properties.

Now, let’s look at the production process of it.

What Is The Production Process Of Ceramic Carbide?

The production of ceramic carbide includes several procedures that are aimed at forging it to maintain its unique qualities.

Being a part of advanced ceramic materials, ceramic carbide needs a high-temperature production process to ensure its quality.

The production procedure starts by choosing the perfect base materials, which often time are carbon, titanium, boron, and many others.

The chosen materials are then subjected to a process called carbothermal reduction.

Here, after an extreme temperature of 1,600°C is reached, the carbon reacts with the metal oxides.

This reaction then produces carbide particles, which have a very highly crystalline structure.

It is this feature that gives ceramic carbides their unique and remarkable properties.

After the carbide powder is obtained, it is then subjected to milling.

This is in a bid to achieve the intended purification and shape.

Next is the process called sintering, where the shaped material is then subjected to a very high temperature.

It is in this process that the different particles become closely knitted, which increases density.

You should know that there are some other sintering processes, like advanced sintering techniques.

Here, hot pressing or methods like spark plasma sintering may be used to achieve stronger mechanical features.

Afterwards, the end result, a high-performance ceramic carbide, is then achieved.

What Are The Importance Of Ceramic Carbide?

Ceramic carbide is useful and important due to a variety of reasons, which include:

• Hardness And Resistance To Wear

  • Ceramic carbides are actually one of the hardest materials out there.

  • This makes them a perfect fit in use cases where there is a need for resistance to abrasion and wear.

  • This feature is employed in protective coatings, in a bid to elongate the life span of the components.

• Excellent Thermal Stability

  • These advanced ceramic materials have the exceptional ability to perform well even when subjected to extreme heat.

  • Thus, making them indispensable in aerospace, automotive, and other industries where materials need to endure extreme thermal conditions.

• Corrosion And Resistance To Chemical

  • As against metals that lose their integrity when exposed to harsh chemicals or moisture, ceramic carbides do not.

  • This feature makes them indispensable in industries that process chemicals and as well as for medical implants and marine applications.

• High Strength And Toughness

  • Although ceramic carbides are hard, they also have remarkable mechanical strength, which helps them to withstand stress and heavy loads.

  • This makes them the best material for plating armor and other heavy-duty machinery where there is a need for durability.

• Electrical And Thermal Conductivity

  • Unlike other ceramic materials, some carbide ceramics examples, like silicon carbide, can conduct electricity and heat even better.

  • This makes them important in the manufacturing of devices, where there is a need for effective energy transfer.

In Conclusion

Ceramic carbides are advanced ceramic materials and are truly remarkable as they are durable, tough, and resistant to heat.

This remarkable feature they possess is the reason why they’ve gained widespread usage in various industries

And truly, the more technology advances, so will their importance and applications continue to increase.