Material Properties of Titanium Diboride.

The physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of polycrystalline TiB2 are examined with an emphasis on the significant dependence of the properties on the density and grain size of the material specimens. Using trend analysis, property relations, and interpolation methods, a coherent set of trend values for the properties of polycrystalline TiB2 is determined for a mass fraction of TiB2 ⩾ 98 %, a density of (4.5±0.1) g/cm(3), and a mean grain size of (9±1) µm.

NIST Materials Properties Databases for Advanced Ceramics.

The NIST Ceramics Division maintains two databases on the physical, mechanical, thermal, and other properties of high temperature superconductors and structural ceramics. Crystallographic data are featured prominently among the physical property data and serve several important functions in the classification and evaluation of the property values. The scope of materials, properties, and data evaluation protocols are discussed for the two databases.

Analytical Representations of Elastic Moduli Data With Simultaneous Dependence on Temperature and Porosity.

An analytical model providing simultaneous, self-consistent representations of the temperature and porosity dependence of the elastic and bulk moduli of polycrystalline ceramics is applied to data compiled from the literature for 24 oxide ceramics.

Corrosion Characteristics of Silicon Carbide and Silicon Nitride.

The present work is a review of the substantial effort that has been made to measure and understand the effects of corrosion with respect to the properties, performance, and durability of various forms of silicon carbide and silicon nitride. The review encompasses corrosion in diverse environments, usually at temperatures of 1000 °C or higher. The environments include dry and moist oxygen, mixtures of hot gaseous vapors, molten salts, molten metals, and complex environments pertaining to coal ashes and slags.

The Structural Ceramics Database: Technical Foundations.

The development of a computerized database on advanced structural ceramics can play a critical role in fostering the widespread use of ceramics in industry and in advanced technologies. A computerized database may be the most effective means of accelerating technology development by enabling new materials to be incorporated into designs far more rapidly than would have been possible with traditional information transfer processes. Faster, more efficient access to critical data is the basis for creating this technological advantage. Further, a computerized database provides the means for a more consistent treatment of data, greater quality control and product reliability, and improved continuity of research and development programs. A preliminary system has been completed as phase one of an ongoing program to establish the Structural Ceramics Database system. The system is designed to be used on personal computers. Developed in a modular design, the preliminary system is focused on the thermal properties of monolithic ceramics. The initial modules consist of materials specification, thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, specific heat, thermal shock resistance, and a bibliography of data references. Query and output programs also have been developed for use with these modules. The latter program elements, along with the database modules, will be subjected to several stages of testing and refinement in the second phase of this effort. The goal of the refinement process will be the establishment of this system as a user-friendly prototype. Three primary considerations provide the guidelines to the system's development: (1) The user's needs; (2) The nature of materials properties; and (3) The requirements of the programming language. The present report discusses the manner and rationale by which each of these considerations leads to specific features in the design of the system.

Variances in the Measurement of Ceramic Powder Properties.

Variances in the measurement of properties used to characterize ceramic powders are discussed in the context of the International Energy Agency's study, Annex II, Subtask 2, which includes chemical and physical measurements for five powders: two grades of silicon nitride, and one grade each of silicon carbide, silicon, and zirconia. The analysis presented here includes results for 39 properties reported by 25 laboratories using approximately 700 samples of the powders. Measurement uncertainties are discussed in the contexts of measurement variations within given laboratories (within-laboratory variance, sometimes called repeatability), among different laboratories (between-laboratory variance, also called reproducibility), and among different measurement techniques (between-methods variance). The analysis shows that the between-laboratory variance tends to be significantly greater than either the within-laboratory or the between-methods variances. The implication of this result is that the most important improvements in powder characterization measurements may be achieved through the standardization of the measurement methodologies.