Specifications Of Ceramic Ball
Ceramic balls are rolling, spherical elements that are used in check and ball valves, bearings, and other mechanical devices that provide rotary or linear motion. Like other ceramic products, they are made from inorganic, nonmetallic materials that are processed or used at high temperatures. Outer diameter (OD) or width is an important physical specification to consider. Many ceramic balls feature a highly controlled geometry and an extremely smooth surface finish. Precision grinding removes cuts, scratches, scuffs, and other breaks in surface continuity. Processes such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP) are used to create products with a pore-free microstructure and micron-sized grains. Many ceramic balls exhibit much greater hardness than steel balls, resulting in longer life and improved reliability. Ceramic balls can also provide higher stiffness, lower thermal expansion, lighter weight, increased corrosion resistance, and higher electrical resistance than comparable steel products.
Ceramic balls are made from many different types of materials. Alumina, a compound that consists of aluminum and oxygen, is used widely because of its versatility and low cost. Typically, alumina is used in the alpha alumina structural form or combined with other materials to form alumina-silicon carbide, alumina-zirconia, aluminum nitride, and aluminum silicates such as sillimanite and fibrolite. Boron carbide has a higher hardness than alumina or silicon carbide (SiC), a dense compound with a relatively high thermal shock resistance compared to other ceramics. Cubic boron nitride (CBN) is second only to diamond in terms of hardness. By contrast, hexagonal boron is structurally weak and best suited for use as a high temperature lubricant. Other materials in ceramic balls include compounds that contain aluminum, carbon, calcium, magnesium, titanium, tungsten, and zirconia. Examples include calcium aluminate, cordierite, dolomite, graphite, kaolin, magnesia, metal boride, mullite, porcelain, sapphire, silicon nitride, spinel, steatite, titanium carbide, tungsten carbide, and zircon.
