COLLOID CHEMISTRY IN CERAMICS*

Mr. Chairman, Fellows of The American Ceramic Society, Members, and guests! I consider it a great honor to have been invited to deliver before this gathering the Edward Orton, Jr., Memorial Lecture for 1941. That your choice has fallen on me, neither a ceramist by profession nor a specialized ceramic chemist or physicist, makes me even more proud, and I therefore want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I come here not to offer you a lecture on recent developments in ceramics, a topic which undoubtedly will be handled in the course of your Meeting by more competent men, but to lay before you in simple form a few fundamental colloid chemical and physical concepts which have a direct bearing on basic problems in ceramics. This consideration of why and where colloid chemical reasoning and research have become a science indispensable for progressive developments in ceramics is the greatest tribute to the memory of Edward Orton, Jr., who pioneered in the United States in the importance of scientific research in ceramics.     

THE SAFETY ETHIC: Where can you get one?

What do you know about safety ethics? We sometimes talk about the safety ethic of this or that person or organization, but it is difficult to find a uniform understanding or definition of this ethic. Having a safety ethic is important to all of us since it is the basis for our value of safety and it can affect our survival or the survival of others. This paper describes a search to identify the elements of a strong safety ethic and includes several sources that suggest and support each element. The rationale for each of its elements are presented along with some interpretative guidelines so that we have a common ground for understanding each part of the safety ethic. It concludes by presenting—The Safety Ethic: I value safety, work safely, prevent at-risk behavior, promote safety, and accept responsibility for safety. This safety ethic is a target, a stake in the ground, a goal if you will, for all of us to strive for. If we adopt this ethic, our world and that of our families, friends, coworkers, and employees would indeed be safer. Comments are solicited to improve or strengthen this proposal.     

ON THE STRENGTH OF HEAVY CLAY PRODUCTS

The published strengths of standard clay products have been formulated in simple equations (1) for placing the information in a simple compass for architects and ceramists, (2) to show the law of variation in terms of properly chosen variables, (3) to aid in appropriate selection of variables in devising future tests. The author assumed that a plus or minus variation or “tolerance” of 10% from the averages found by tests would be acceptable to manufacturers and ceramic engineers and has endeavored to keep well within these limits.     

Axel Homburg — On his 65th Birthday

At a meeting held in 1969, the research and development director of Dynamit Nobel AG's Liebenau facility was full of praise about a recently recruited colleague who would go far in his opinion. Events proved him entirely correct, for Dr. Axel Homburg, the object of the director's enthusiasm, was entrusted with the management of the explosives research and development department as early as 1972. In 1980, he took over the management of the military technology division, and in 1983, he was made a member of the board of directors, which he chaired from 1987 until the time of his retirement, when he joined the supervisory board. Dr. Homburg's natural friendliness, diplomatic deftness, and profound knowledge of military technology, particularly propellants and explosives, have made him not only a sought‐after expert but also a welcome guest. Thus, in many years of service as spokesman of the BDI Defence Industry Working Group and the German Section of the NATO Industrial Group he has won universal recognition not only in Germany but all over the world. Because of this, he is now an active, trend‐setting member of many decision‐making bodies including, for instance, his commitment on behalf of Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics (PEP), a scientific and technical journal of global renown. On frequent occasions, editors and employees of PEP gladly use and appreciate his extraordinary store of information and advice. For many years, Dr. Homburg has been closely associated with PEP through his membership in the advisory and editorial advisory boards, and all who benefit from this journal, which is almost unique in its field, fervently wish that Dr. Homburg may be around for a long while yet to lend advice and assistance. His scientific ambitions have led him to maintain, from the very start of his career, close links with the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) of Pfinztal‐Berg‐hausen near Karlsruhe, where the PEP's editorial office is located. In 1983, he was co‐opted into the ICT's board of governors, which he has chaired since 1994. During the latter period, in which the Institute changed the orientation of its scientific activities, his influence on developments was vast and lasting. At this year's meeting of the ICT board of governors Dr. Homburg was confirmed in office for another term of three years. In recognition of his important services, Dr. Axel Homburg was awarded the Order of Merit by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany. When Dr. Homburg retired in 1997 in a move that resembled a retreat not so much as an advance, he was asked whether he was now returning to a regime of unlimited spare time. After brief consideration, he replied in effect that while he had as little time to spare as before, he was now allotting it differently. Thus, he was indulging himself by getting up one hour later and taking ample time to read his paper, but in all other respects things were pretty much the same To be sure, we would all like to see Dr. Homburg taking more time to enjoy his hobbies, such as savouring a drop of good wine or a glass of outstanding champagne. May he have occasion to pander to these passions, now that he is able to retreat to his second home in Spain more often, and may he find the time there to place his expertise at the service of PEP – or whatever. We, the editors and readers of PEP, all wish that you, dear Dr. Homburg, may remain available to us all for advice and assistance, and that you may continue to enjoy your usual energy in the next year as well as in many more years to come.     

Talking about color…

Last August I devoted one of these columns to the subject of defective color vision and suggested that it would be very instructive to hear from persons who have a color-vision defect about the difficulties they experience and also from parents who have a son or daughter with a color defect about the difficulties that arise at school. It transpired that Professor R. J. Fletcher, the present Chairman of our British Colour Group, had been thinking along the same lines, and this led him to organise a very interesting meeting of the Group at The City University in London on 2nd March, 1988, when several speakers described the nature of their color defects and how they managed to cope with them. I seized the opportunity to enroll two of the speakers to contribute to this column, one of them, Mrs. L. Newport, being a school teacher. She herself has normal color vision but her 15-year-old son Philip has a protan defect. She is, therefore, well placed to advise both school teachers and parents on how to assist children with color defects. The other contributor, Mr. S. C. Abery, is an optometrist; here he uses his knowledge as a visual specialist to describe the problems he has had as a result of his color defect, which was first established when he was four. His account begins. I hope these two contributions will set teachers and parents talking about color and working out ways of easing the lot of color-defective youngsters. Our journal, too, can play its part by publicising the problem. I once suggested² that it might be no bad thing if a Dalton Society were established at which those with color defects could compare notes and perhaps make recommendations on alternative methods of identification in place of color codes. How about it, Mr. Abery? Finally, I must mention that there is a very active International Research Group on Colour Vision Deficiencies which meets every two years, and the secretary of the Group, Dr. Verriest, publishes a Newsletter under the title Daltoniana!³     

“As I remember it” research on biosynthesis of fatty acids,triglycerides, squalene,and cholesterol

Dr. George Popják, recipient of the 1977 Award in Lipid Chemistry, presented a chronological account of his career in lipid biochemistry during, his address to the American Oil Chemists' Society on May 9, 1977, in New York City during the Society's 68th Annual Meeting. The address covers his early work in fetal lipids, through his pioneering studies of cholesterol and squalene biosynthesis, and his present work on mevalonate metabolism. “On reading the citation for this award,”. Dr. Popják said, “I, had difficulty in deciding the topics for this address. I chose, rightly or wrongly, an autobiographical approach and to relate, as best I can remember, how I started and progressed in the study of the biochemistry of lipids.”     

A NOTE ON COMPARISON OF ENGLISH VS. ORTON PYROMETRIC CONES1

The English made pyrometric cones from 10–32 inclusive were compared to Orton cones for fusion values. The results are expressed in Orton cones. The work was done in a pot furnace and the comparison was intended to give values for this type of work. A drawing shows the position of English as to that of Orton cones.     

陶瓷彩绘的装饰风

陶瓷彩绘装饰风是一个很重要的问题,并从陶瓷彩绘的线条、色彩、图案花纹、图案化的处理、构图、意境这六个方面加以叙述,指出装饰风的形成是历代艺术家在艺术上迈向成熟的标志,追求的目标,所达到的境界。     

Abstracts of Papers Presented at the 2005 Pittsburgh Conference

To attend or not to attend, that is the question. The Pittsburgh Conference continues to pose this conundrum to conferees and exhibitors alike. This year''s conference was the first to be presented without a set of paper abstracts—a good thing some would say but this old codger always used the paper abstracts to select papers of interest to our readership and to seek a full publication. The exhibit took its usual format but it seemed that there were less manufacturers present. The information presented to the attendees was also lacking and many companies'' details were missing from the final program book, an omission no doubt on their behalf—my company was one of these—however I feel sure that past Pittcon organizers would have been more persistent in getting the required details for the audience. As is now the norm, many of the presentations take the form of posters displayed within the exhibition area. Without a driver to get the audience there, the traffic was slow, to say the least. Lecture presentations were also attended in a mixed fashion. So the Pittsburgh Conference show moves on, and again next year it will be held in Orlando from 12 March to 17 March 2006. No doubt I will be there making it a straight 31 in a row; in Pittsburgh Conference terms I am just a beginner with many of the attendees making more shows in a run than that. Selected abstracts dealing with topics of interest to the readers of this journal follow—hopefully many of these groups will be willing to publish their work either within this journal or elsewhere.     

中国塑料产业的发展方向

随着中国经济整体稳定持续健康发展,中国塑料工业经过"十五"实现了跨越式的发展,塑料制品业取得了令世人瞩目的成就,实现了主要经济指标两位数大幅度增长,总产值位居轻工行业第三位,出口居第五位,已成为中国国民经济健康发展中的支柱产业。     

Development of China''s Plastics Industry in 2006

Here, I would like to make a report to you on the developments of China Plastics Industry in 2006, and to prospect the trends in 2007. 1 Basic Conditions of China Plastics Processing Industry China plastics industry focuses on plastics processing, including plastic synthetic resin, auxiliaries and additives, as well as plastics processing machinery and mold. During the 10th five-year plan, Chinese plastics industry had implemented the scientific concept of development, promoted the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure, and had adhered to the way of new industrialization. The whole industry was thriving with its open up to the world. It played an increasingly important role in the nation's economy. And now it is undergoing the change from a big plastics industry county into a powerful one     

Assembled Catalysts—Just Interesting, or Maybe Important?

A lecture held in Honor of Professor Sir John Meurig Thomas on the occasion of his 70th birthday RSC symposium “Perspectives and prospects in catalytic science” at the Royal Institution, London, 3–5 September, 2002. It is beyond doubt that catalysts have had a major influence on the technological development of the world over the last 150 years or so. In this very building, where today we honor Professor Sir John Meurig Thomas, some spectacular advances were made not only in the distant past, by the likes of Faraday and Davy, but also in the more recent past (and dare I say present) by Professor Thomas himself. The in situ studies of catalysts in action, allowing the creation of a basis for rational design, being one of the many shining examples [1]. When working here myself, one of the “Leitmotifs” of Sir John was to ask (his often all-too-exuberant junior colleagues): “It may be interesting, but is it important?” To answer, “It is important, because I find it interesting”, did not cut much ice, so in this spirit, I will be aiming to convince you that assembled catalysts are not just interesting, but also important.     

Melting Relations of the Common Rock-Forming Oxides

Geological science is concerned with the nature of the materials of the earth and particularly with the processes by which earth materials have been changed and modified. Laboratory studies of the melting behavior of the common rock-forming oxides have been an important adjunct to the observations of the field geologist. For the past fifty years investigators at the Geophysical Laboratory have been obtaining quantitative information on the melting relations of many of the important rock-forming minerals. These studies of the fundamental chemistry of igneous and metamorphic rocks have yielded much information of value to ceramists, metallurgists, and mineral technologists. This paper summarizes the most important phase-equilibrium studies of unary, binary, ternary, quaternary, and portions of quinary systems of the common rock-forming oxides-SiO₂, Al₂O₃, FeO, Fe₂O₃, CaO, MgO, Na₂O, and K₂O.     

煤的岩相显微组分与成浆性

讨论四种烟煤的岩相显微组成与它们制成水煤浆时成浆性的关系，试验指出在煤的灰含量基本相同情况下，煤的岩相显微组成中镜质组和半镜质组含量高、丝质组含量低时对增加水煤浆的煤浓度、增加煤浆结构稳定性及减少煤浆粘度有利。     

Rietveld Quantitative Analysis of Buen Retiro Porcelains

Porcelains represent the foundation of the ceramic discipline. The variable-phase assembly within porcelains makes these materials very complex ceramics. Fine porcelains from Buen Retiro were produced between 1760 and 1808 by Spanish court ceramists. The factory and its records were totally destroyed in 1812 during the Peninsular War. Recently, some pieces of porcelain and remains of whiteware belonging to the ancient factory were discovered during an excavation. In the present work, some of the secret formulas that enabled the Spanish ceramists to produce porcelains have been investigated by quantitative full-phase analysis (including amorphous content) using the Rietveld method. Three porcelains belonging to the Sureda period (1803–1808) and another from an earlier time of the factory (1760–1783) have been analyzed. The phase results are discussed and conclusions are derived by using appropriate phase equilibrium diagrams. It has also been found that the Rietveld quantitative amorphous content analysis is effective in determining the glassy content in porcelains.     

“建水陶”的审美内涵与装饰语言新气象

始于宋代的建水制陶业在清代发展出“刻填装饰”与“无釉磨光”相结合的装饰工艺。清末民初的几代陶艺师凭借自身的传统文化修养在这一独特的“刻填”工艺的基础上创造出了充满文化气息的“建水陶”陶艺品种。然而,由于区位条件及复杂的社会原因使“建水陶”的发展在其后的数十年中陷于停滞状态。近年来,随着文化消费热的兴起,“建水陶”呈现复苏的景象。但单纯的经济驱动力只能让“建水陶”的生产停留于工艺品的层面,大多“建水陶”作品因陶艺师自身的局限而没有构建起自己的艺术语言。在“建水陶”的审美价值普遍被误读的今天,青年陶艺家向进兴的陶艺作品为释放“建水陶”内在的艺术魅力提供了可实践的经验,让我们得以重新理解“建水陶”装饰语言的文化内涵。     

熟料岩相试样制作方法及典型岩相特征的形成原因

熟料的岩相分析有助于熟料质量的判断及生产过程控制调整。根据多年实践经验,总结了手工和机械磨制岩相试样的方法及注意事项,并对几种熟料岩相特征(孔洞、游离氧化钙、A矿包裹B矿和f-Ca O、晶体尺寸不均和矿巢)进行了举例和形成原因分析。     

Dyeing for the microscope

To understand the need to colour specimens artificially for viewing under the microscope, we must recall that the image has to have two essentials. First, it must have enough resolution to show the details at the required magnification. It is easy to magnify a germ to the size of a table top, but there is no point in doing this with the light microscope because the germ would look like a formless mass. Second, there has to be contrast in the image. If there is a fully resolved picture with no contrast, you can see nothing! Against this background, Brian Bracegirdle tells the story of how dyes and pigments came to be an essential tool of microscopy.     

The Adhesion Society Award for Excellence in Adhesion Science—1993

The Adhesion Society Award for Excellence in Adhesion Science for 1993, Sponsored by 3M, will be awarded to Dr. Louis H. Sharpe at the annual meeting of the Society at Williamsburg, Virginia, February 21-26, 1993. Dr. Sharpe was associated with AT&T Bell Labs and worked in the area of adhesion science for over 30 years. Dr. Sharpe is cited in the award: