Ceramic science and engineering
Overall Course Objectives
Ceramic materials and their continuous development have dramatically influenced our daily life. The perception of ceramics as pottery, dishes, bricks, tiles, glasses or cement has changed through the development of novel structural and functional ceramic materials that are gradually finding their way into advanced technological applications. These applications are as diverse as spark plugs, fibre optics, artificial joints, space shuttle tiles, race car brakes, micro-positioners, chemical sensors, self-lubricating bearings and body armor, indicating the huge dependence of future technologies on advanced ceramic materials.
Through lectures, group work and laboratory exercises as well as contact with industry, students will get an overview of traditional and advanced ceramic materials, including different applications, properties and structure of ceramic materials, and their production methods and characterization. The students will also get training in literature search and report writing. The completion of this course enables the students to select optimal ceramic materials with required properties, design a product and fabricate it using an appropriate method for a given application. Overall, this course will equip the engineering students with the necessary tools for their future career in industry, research or as decision makers.
See course description in Danish
Learning Objectives
- Explain the crystal structure of ceramic materials
- Find and analyze the phase diagrams of ceramic materials
- Explain and calculate the physical, mechanical and functional properties of ceramic materials
- Select a ceramic material for an industrial application
- Explain different methods for processing, forming and sintering of ceramics
- Select and analyze ceramic processing methods and design a fabrication process for producing ceramic engineering components with focus on technologies for sustainable change, such as ceramic fuel cells, electrolysis or membranes
- Understand the use of electron microscopy, surface area measurements and thermal analysis for the characterization of ceramic materials
- Assess safety of and perform a practical laboratory task on the sintering and characterization of ceramics
- Assess the production and use of ceramics based on industry-relevant cases with respect to the UN sustainability goals
Course Content
Properties of ceramic materials: physical, thermal, mechanical, electric, magnetic, chemical. Phase diagrams (binary and ternary), crystal structures.
Treatment of ceramic powders. Shaping of ceramics: pressing, casting, plastic forming. Drying and sintering of ceramic bodies.
Characterization of ceramics: X-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis, thermal expansion (dilatometer), particle size and particle size distribution, measurement of strength, toughness and hardness, surface area (BET), porosimetry, optic microscopy, electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy.
Toughening of ceramics. Design of ceramics. Fabrication and use of ceramics in a sustainable society.
Recommended prerequisites
26000/26027/26026/10303/41681/41659/41650, Basic knowledge of chemistry, physics and materials science, for example one course from each of these groups of courses: (26000/26027/26026) and (10303/41681/41659/41650). Bachelor in Chemistry and Technology, Physics and Nanotechnology, General Engineering (Advanced Materials and Future Energy), Mechanical Engineering or similar bachelor programme
Teaching Method
Lectures, work in groups as well as on individual basis, and laboratory exercises
Safety in the lab is part of the course.
Faculty
Limited number of seats
Minimum: 10, Maximum: 50.
Please be aware that this course has a minimum requirement for the number of participants needed, in order for it to be held. If these requirements are not met, then the course will not be held. Furthermore, there is a limited number of seats available. If there are too many applicants, a pool will be created for the remainder of the qualified applicants, and they will be selected at random. You will be informed 8 days before the start of the course, whether you have been allocated a spot.