Alumina Ceramics And Its Unique Industrial Applications

By Author: Wilber Whitfield
Total Articles: 72
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Alumina ceramics are basically ceramics with high proportion of Aluminium Oxide (Al2O3). This is one of the most abundantly available natural form of ceramic material. About 90% of the chemical composition of Alumina ceramic consists of Aluminium Oxide while second major ingredient is Silicon Oxide (SiO2). The combination of these two elements forms a ceramic material known as alumina.

Alumina is pale white in colour. Commercially available in the form of hard and large sized balls, Alumina can be imparted with any desired shape and form depending upon its application. The colour, texture, surface coating, hardness, etc. of Alumina can be managed by adding additional elements to the basic structure of Alumina. These additive elements constitute less than 1-2% of the entire composition of ceramic, but have a long lasting effect on the material properties.

Some of the common additives in alumina are usually Iron Oxide (Fe2O3), Titanium Oxide (TiO2), Calcium Oxide (CaO), Magnesium Oxide (MgO), Potassium Oxide (K2O), and Sodium Oxide (Na2O). Though these additives are small in quantity, the different effects and outcomes ...
... they can do for alumina determines its use and application. The chemical reactions governing the bonding and crystallization of alumina also vary at different high temperatures.

Alumina is an extremely hard ceramic. It has high electrical resistance and is a bad conductor of electricity. Also, it is heat resistant and can sustain high temperatures seamlessly for long durations. The density of molecules is high; as a result the density of alumina is very high. Due to the compact molecules, Alumina gets a robust shape and form. Alumina has a high toughness quotient, as a result once it gets a specific shape, it does not deform. Also, it is highly corrosion and erosion resistant.

One of the most common applications of alumina is in the form of grinding media. Due to its extreme hardness, the varying sizes of alumina balls are used as crushing agents for cement, paints, powder, and pharmaceuticals. Due to the non-corrosive and non-reactive capabilities of Alumina, it is an ideal choice as a crushing media.

Alumina is also applied as electrical insulators of all shapes and sizes. To negate the effect of sunlight the external surface of alumina is coated with reflective material. Used for high-tension electric power grid transmissions these insulators are large in size. Due to the flow of electricity, extreme heat is generated so alumina ceramics need to sustain this heat, as insulators have to sustain high electrical charges.

Alumina is extremely smooth on the surface. It is used extensively in bearing operations because of this. Precision grinding, laser machining, complex tooling, and machining operations are sustained high-end manufacturing processes for alumina materials. For materials for component manufacturing, machines operating on these also use alumina. For manufacturing processes, the tensile and compressive abilities of the ceramic make it ideal.

There are different experiments on combinations of Alumina in various parts of the world. Scientists are researching the impact of additives that may improve the likelihood of using alumina in Bioscience and Aerospace applications. In Material Sciences and Metallurgical applications, alumina formed in various shapes is used in various applications for the automobile and manufacturing industry as a sustainable material.

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