Posts: 2
From:South Africa
Registered: Feb 2004

posted February 27, 2004 08:11 AM               

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Hi there.
I'm currently doing my final year in materials-engineering at Potchefstroom university in South Africa. A thing i need to know is if anyone has ever thought of making a ceramic feedscrew? I know that ceramics are very difficult to fabricate and the tensile properties are not comparable to steel for example, but the wear properties of ceramics would make it an ideal candidate for pumping say concrete slurries. With nanophase ceramics dawning in this era, this might be a likely possibility.

I would appreciate ANY information regarding this. Thanks for a great webpage.

Keep up the good work.
Werner

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Posts: 295
From:Brodheadsville, PA USA
Registered: Jun 2001

posted February 27, 2004 02:49 PM               

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I have heard of ceramic screws being used, but mostly screws that are coated with thin ceramic (problems with flaking off) and screws coated with cemented ceramic block (very, very expensive).

I also believe you can get ceramic twin screw elements.

Tom C

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Posts: 279
From:McHenry, IL USA
Registered: Nov 2002

posted February 28, 2004 06:04 AM               

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I'll believe the nanopgase ceramics when they are commercially available. Like most nano materials, they are available in grams only. Once they become commerchailized, then they stand a chance of becoming competitive with the steel alloys already out there.

The biggest hinderance I can think of is the propensity of ceramics shattering. Simply stated, they are just to brittle - sort of like the old porcelan cooking pots of yeasteryear. One ding, and you have the porcelan flaking off and exposing the base metal.

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