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Laboratory Experiences in Glasses and Traditional Ceramics William G. Fahrenholtz, Carol A. Click, and Richard K. Brow Department of Ceramic Engineering University of Missouri-Rolla

Abstract

In the Ceramic Engineering department at the University of Missouri-Rolla, students develop strong experimental skills through a series of laboratory classes. At the sophomore level, students explore a variety of processing and characterization methods. Two specific examples of laboratory exercises are discussed in this paper: 1) the formulation and fabrication of triaxial porcelains, and 2) the processing and characterization of glasses.

As the name suggests, triaxial porcelains contain three components, clay, feldspar and flint. Each plays an important role in the processing, microstructure development, and final properties of the ceramic. Understanding the function of each component during processing and in the final fired ceramic is important so that compositions can be designed for use with specific forming methods or to meet performance specifications. The role of each component in forming and in the fired component is described and a simple design exercise is outlined.

Glasses are fascinating because of their unusual structure and properties. Within certain compositional windows, the properties of glasses such as density, thermal expansion coefficient, refractive index, and glass transition temperature are linearly dependent upon composition. An experiment is described in which students prepare and characterize a series of glasses to elucidate relationships between composition and properties.

I. Introduction

Ceramic materials are often the “enabling” technologies at the heart of practical devices.1 This classification implies that the function of a device is dependent on the special properties of a ceramic part, which, in turn, depends on the processing history, chemical composition, and crystal structure of the ceramic. A simple example would be the piezoelectric quartz crystal that drives most of modern watches and clocks. The performance of the ceramic is vital to the accuracy of the device, but the ceramic remains hidden unless the system is disassembled. Most new functional ceramics are designed by applying knowledge of structure-property relations, but development requires extensive experimentation. Thus, it is essential that undergraduate students in ceramics/materials programs develop strong experimental skills. Properly designed laboratory exercises aid in the development of these skills, plus they can be an excellent method to reinforce topics from lecture classes with hands-on experience.

At the University of Missouri-Rolla, the curriculum in the Ceramic Engineering department is designed to provide undergraduates with a mix of fundamental understanding and practical, hands-on skills.2 The sequence of seven required laboratory classes in the department are listed in Table 1. 3 The sophomore and junior labs are designed to help students build a portfolio of

Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright  2001, American Society for Engineering Education

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Brow, R., & Click, C. (2002, June), Laboratory Experiences In Glasses And Traditional Ceramics Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10559