Metallographic Specimen Preparation

CLASS 10 - ENGINEERED CERAMICS

Examples include silicon nitride, zirconia, SiSiC, silicon carbide, boron carbide, alumina, mullite, and ceramic matrix composites (CMC’s).

Description:
Engineered ceramics have found increasing applications for high temperature, corrosion resistance, low wearability and a number of other applications. An example of a Class 10 specimen preparation technique is for aluminium oxynitride (AlON) which is a ceramic composed of aluminum, oxygen and nitrogen. It is a transparent ceramic that is harder than glass.

Preparation Challenge:
AlON is very hard therefore specimen preparation procedures generally require a CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) component to remove induced microstructural damage. When examining the surface, it is recommended that a sputter coating be used to increase surface reflectivity.