05-17

An Overview of Common Structural Ceramics and Their Application Areas

Advanced ceramics can be classified into structural ceramics and functional ceramics. Functional ceramics are primarily characterized by their specialized properties, such as electrical, magnetic, biological, thermosensitive, and optical characteristics. They include insulating and dielectric ceramics, ferroelectric ceramics, piezoelectric ceramics, semiconductors, and sensitive ceramics, among others. Structural ceramics, on the other hand, are designed for mechanical and structural applications, offering high strength, hardness, excellent resistance to high temperatures, corrosion, and oxidation. They are widely used in cutting tools, molds, wear-resistant components, pump and valve parts, engine components, heat exchangers, biomedical devices, and armor systems. Common materials include silicon nitride, silicon carbide, zirconium dioxide, boron carbide, titanium diboride, aluminum oxide, and sialon. ▼ Advanced Structural Ceramic Products and Their Applications Functional ceramics are often unseen yet indispensable, whereas some structural ceramic products may be more familiar to us. Today, let’s take a look at commonly used structural ceramic products: what are their key features, and how are they applied?

05-17

What are the application areas of silicon carbide?

In roller‑kilns, tunnel kilns, and shuttle kilns used in industries such as high‑end daily‑use ceramics, sanitary ware, high‑voltage electrical porcelain, and glass, silicon carbide ceramics are typically selected as refractory materials for high‑temperature applications. For example, silicon carbide beams are well suited for load‑bearing structures in industrial kilns, exhibiting excellent high‑temperature mechanical properties, superior resistance to high‑temperature creep, and maintaining dimensional stability over long service life without bending or deformation. Silicon carbide roller bars, employed in the high‑temperature firing zone, offer outstanding thermal conductivity, helping to reduce energy consumption without increasing the weight of the kiln car. Meanwhile, silicon carbide cold‑air ducts, utilized in the cooling zone, demonstrate exceptional resistance to rapid thermal cycling, with a service life 5 to 10 times that of stainless steel pipes or other refractory materials such as alumina.