Ceramics: This Material Won't Melt Away

We all have items in our homes that are made of ceramics: dinner plates, floor tiles -- and toilets. And in the technical world, ceramics are used in electrical devices, fiber-optic cables, and even the space shuttle tiles.

A ceramic is strong and hard, but its best quality -- the most important to scientists -- is its high melting temperature, which allows engineers to use it in places where even metals would melt. At the laboratory at NAVSEA Carderock in Bethesda, Md., engineers are creating ceramics that will improve engine performance.

"Everything we make here is very new," says materials engineer Jim Zaykoski, PhD. "It's never been done before, and that's the exciting part of what we do."

CONCEPTS EXPLORED:
Ceramics
Mohs Scale
Sintering

RELATED LINKS

MILITARY BRANCH:
Navy

[williamgrissom]

Most ceramics are oxides. Burning is usually reacting with oxygen, so ceramics don't burn because done-burned. But they can melt. Hafnium diboride has about the highest melting point discovered so far, and even higher after it is oxidized.

[ronaldmcdonald]

How hot would you have to get it to melt of sublimate ceramic?

[NickBrunsky]

LabTVonline What metal alloy that doesn't burn nor melt at 2 mil to 3 million degrees? And at what high temperature how does it treated? So it will not burn at going back down to Earth's atmosphere. And what mixture element to strengthen so it will not burn/melt at 2 mil to 3 mil degrees?

Stainless steel or titanium, or what metal element after treated so it will not melt nor burn? And what amount of high temperature to be treated? Let me know please...

[shreyanchetia]

aren't our bath tubs the biggest piece of Ceramic anyone has?

[Janethereee]

Ok thank you, I thought my bowl would melt because of my noodles

[ed-fbnr]

Why is there so many neeks in this comment section

[kaizokumugiwara]

Don't forget dental uses. That's why I'm hear. I wanted to know more about sintering. Its good to know it's not the same as melting.

[sugamkumar]

University of Calcutta mein ceramic engineering ka placement kaisa hai

[mrnegative]

im here because of science like if u r coming from a kid in his lesson

[assasinpatates]

Doesn't directors ever watch the videos they directed? The music is unbearable. I can't understand why would somebody put music in the background while someone is talking unless it's a very intense dramatic moment. "Everyone was heating Ceramic up. But Ceramic was strong. She wouldn't melt away even if a thousand degrees heated her up!".

[k.joshshnarajesh]

Sir namaste i want to ceramics insulators borrown galze materials 100 kg recuerment

[logangraham]

wait ...

so a campfire is hotter then an oven?

interesting.

[TerkanTyr]

"video of ceramic melting" gives me this video, and other results like this, suggesting that ceramic is impossible to melt.


Google is trash. Are there literally no videos of ceramic melting? I just wanna see it. I just wanna see ceramic get hot enough to melt.Why can't Google find it?