Ceramic and metal matrix composites: Routes and properties

Outstanding mechanical and physical properties like high thermal resistance, high hardness and chemical stability have encouraged use of structural ceramics in several applications. The brittle and hard nature of these ceramics makes them difficult to machine using conventional techniques and damage caused to the surface while machining affects efficiency of components. Laser machining has recently emerged as a potential technique for attaining high material removal rates. This review paper aims at presenting the state of the art in the field of laser machining of structural ceramics and emphasizes on experimental and computational approaches in understanding physical nature of the complex phenomena.

Laser machining of structural ceramics—A review

Purpose




This paper aims to provide a review on the process of additive manufacturing of ceramic materials, focusing on partial and full melting of ceramic powder by a high-energy laser beam without the use of binders.




Design/methodology/approach




Selective laser sintering or melting (SLS/SLM) techniques are first introduced, followed by analysis of results from silica (SiO2), zirconia (ZrO2) and ceramic-reinforced metal matrix composites processed by direct laser sintering and melting.




Findings




At the current state of technology, it is still a challenge to fabricate dense ceramic components directly using SLS/SLM. Critical challenges encountered during direct laser melting of ceramic will be discussed, including deposition of ceramic powder layer, interaction between laser and powder particles, dynamic melting and consolidation mechanism of the process and the presence of residual stresses in ceramics processed via SLS/SLM.




Originality/value




Despite the challenges, SLS/SLM still has the potential in fabrication of ceramics. Additional research is needed to understand and establish the optimal interaction between the laser beam and ceramic powder bed for full density part fabrication. Looking into the future, other melting-based techniques for ceramic and composites are presented, along with their potential applications.

Direct selective laser sintering and melting of ceramics: a review

Additive manufacturing (AM) of ceramic materials has attracted tremendous attention in recent years, due to its potential to fabricate suitable advanced ceramic structures for various engineering applications. Robocasting, a subset of ceramic AM, is an ideal technique for constructing fine and dense ceramic structures with geometrically complex morphology. With the freedom and convenience to deposit various materials within any 3D spatial position, ceramic robocasting opens up unlimited opportunities, which are otherwise hardly attainable from other AM techniques. Here, a summary of the recent progress on the fabrication of single and multi-ceramic structures by robocasting is provided, as well as the prospects of achieving shapeable ceramic structures. The current challenges in ceramic robocasting and an outlook on its development, especially toward the fabrication of self-shaping ceramic structures, are also discussed.

Ceramic Robocasting: Recent Achievements, Potential, and Future Developments.

Pulsed Nd: YAG laser beam has great ability for micro-machining of ceramic materials because of high laser beam intensity at low mean beam power, good focusing characteristics due to very small pulse duration, small kerf widths and narrow heat effected zones. In the paper, experimental investigations into CNC pulsed Nd:YAG laser micro-drilling of zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ) have been carried out. Influence of laser machining parameters on the HAZ thickness and phenomena of tapering of the machined micro-holes has been experimentally investigated. Response Surface Methodology-based optimal parametric analysis has been performed to determine the optimal setting of process parameters such as pulse frequency and pulse width, lamp current, assist air pressure for achieving minimum HAZ thickness and taper of the micro-hole machined by pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Minimum HAZ thickness has been obtained as 0.0675 mm when the lamp current, pulse frequency, assisted air pressure and pulse width are set at optimal parametric setting i.e. 17 amp, 2.0 kHz, 2.0 kg/cm 2 and 2% of the duty cycle, respectively. Minimum taper has been achieved as 0.0319 at optimal parametric setting i.e. the lamp current of 17 amp, pulse frequency of 2.0 kHz, assisted air pressure of 0.6 kg/cm 2 and pulse width of 2% of the duty cycle. Analysis has also been carried out for multi-optimisation of both the responses i.e. HAZ thickness and taper during pulsed Nd:YAG laser micro-drilling on ZrO 2 .

Yahong Liang

Papers

Application trend in advanced ceramic technologies