Reduction of the firing time of large ceramic units
The task
Compared to conventional sintering, the fast firing of porcelain offers the possibility to reduce the sintering costs considerably, because the throughput is increased and the energy consumption is decreased. Yet, the higher heating rates create higher temperature gradients in the components. The components do not sinter homogeneously and stresses occur which may lead to cracks and warpage, especially in large ceramic components.
High voltage insulators of porcelain (Figure 1) are one example for very large ceramic parts. Before sintering, these insulators have a height of 3000 mm and a strut diameter of 300 mm. Presently, sintering of the insulators requires up to seven days in a gas fired kiln.
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Ansprechpartner
Dr. Friedrich Raether
Tel. +49 (0)931 4100-200
Fax +49 (0)931 4100-299
E-Mail: raether@isc.fraunhofer.de