Ceramic sintering furnace

Principle investigators:

1. Kirdyashkin Alexander Ivanovich, Ph.D. Lead Researcher (kirdyashkin_a@mail.ru).

2. Maznoy Anatoly Sergeevich, D.Sc. in engineering, Lead Researcher (maznoy_a@mail.ru).

A new sintering furnace was developed and experimentally tested, which differs from gas furnaces in that the volume of the furnace chamber is filled with a packed bed of refractory ceramic pellets or spheres, in the pores of which gas combustion occurs. Compressed powder material to be sintered is placed inside the packed bed of refractory pellets (Fig. 1), or the object of heat treatment may be this packed bed. High-temperature oxide ceramics of cylindrical, flat and tubular shapes was obtained using the new sintering furnace (Fig. 2).

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

The main advantage of this furnace is the ability to reach high temperatures of up to 2000 0C while reducing the fuel consumption by two times. The ceramic sintering furnace is cost-effective for production of refractory ceramics. Compared with conventional gas furnaces, this furnace has an extended operating temperature range and improved energy efficiency and heat dissipation characteristics.

Applications:

production of functional materials for power engineering, chemistry, aerospace engineering.