Deformation behavior of single ceramic granules with regard to internal structure

Spray-drying of suspensions of nano- or colloidal-disperse ceramic material is one of the most common agglomeration processes to improve handling and processing properties according to further processing steps. The deformation behavior of these spray-dried ceramic granules as intermediate products for die pressing applications has strong influence on the quality of the compacts and finally the sintered products. A correlation between internal granule structure and deformation behavior of granules was identified during own research work and is also known from literature. To gain a better understanding and validation of these relations it is necessary to generate granules with defined extreme internal granule structures (homogeneous, hollow) and measure their mechanical properties. Investigation of the mechanical properties include single granule deformation tests with a commercial granule strength tester to measure fracture strength, Young's Modulus and fracture deformation as well as determination of structure parameter like bulk density or granule porosity. From the correlated results of quantified internal granule structures and experimentally determined mechanical properties a complex understanding of the influence of internal structure on deformation behavior of single ceramic granules should be accessible and can be used for future projects concerning the modeling of deformation behavior of single granules and bulk materials.