Development of Advanced Ceramic Manufacturing Technology

Technical Report · Thu Apr 05 04:00:00 EDT 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/814138· OSTI ID:814138

Pujari, V K ^[1]

---

1. ORNL

Advanced structural ceramics are enabling materials for new transportation engine systems that have the potential for significantly reducing energy consumption and pollution in automobiles and heavy vehicles. Ceramic component reliability and performance have been demonstrated in previous U.S. DOE initiatives, but high manufacturing cost was recognized as a major barrier to commercialization. Norton Advanced Ceramics (NAC), a division of Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics, Inc. (SGIC), was selected to perform a major Advanced Ceramics Manufacturing Technology (ACMT) Program. The overall objectives of NAC's program were to design, develop, and demonstrate advanced manufacturing technology for the production of ceramic exhaust valves for diesel engines. The specific objectives were (1) to reduce the manufacturing cost by an order of magnitude, (2) to develop and demonstrate process capability and reproducibility, and (3) to validate ceramic valve performance, durability, and reliability. The program was divided into four major tasks: Component Design and Specification, Component Manufacturing Technology Development, Inspection and Testing, and Process Demonstration. A high-power diesel engine valve for the DDC Series 149 engine was chosen as the demonstration part for this program. This was determined to be an ideal component type to demonstrate cost-effective process enhancements, the beneficial impact of advanced ceramics on transportation systems, and near-term commercialization potential. The baseline valve material was NAC's NT451 SiAION. It was replaced, later in the program, by an alternate silicon nitride composition (NT551), which utilized a lower cost raw material and a simplified powder-processing approach. The material specifications were defined based on DDC's engine requirements, and the initial and final component design tasks were completed.

• Research Organization: ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 814138
• Report Number(s): ORNL/SUB/94-SP234/1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AUTOMOBILES
CERAMICS
COMMERCIALIZATION
DESIGN
DIESEL ENGINES
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENGINES
MANUFACTURING
PERFORMANCE
POLLUTION
PRODUCTION
RAW MATERIALS
RELIABILITY
SILICON NITRIDES
SPECIFICATIONS
TESTING
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
VALVES