Microstructure and Properties of Plasma Ceramics

Plasma spraying, originally a surfacing technology used for ceramic coating of metal and nonmetal substrates, is suitable for producing large, full ceramic bodies, such as plates and tubes, in situ to almost the desired dimensions; i.e., conventional methods of designing by molding and casting green bodies followed by sintering are not required. These "plasma ceramics" exhibit characteristic mechanical and thermomechanical properties. Their porous laminar grain structure results in low E -modulus and strength, and in extreme thermal shock resistance, which is enhanced by the comparably high fracture resistance of the material. Because of these properties and their low hardness, plasma ceramics can be easily machined with almost conventional methods of metal processing.