Foam ceramics
Ceramic foam , or of porous ceramic material is a generic term for ceramic materials that are brought with special processes or process steps in a foam-like solid structure.
properties
As a material, foam ceramics, like ceramics in general, offer ideal solutions for extremely high temperatures. In addition, ceramic foam has a very low thermal conductivity , so that it can also be used as an ideal insulating material . From a mechanical point of view, ceramic foam is good for pressure loads but hardly suitable for tensile or shock loads.
Depending on the starting material, ceramic foam is chemically inert , corrosion-resistant and / or catalytically effective .
As a special property, foam ceramics, like the technically related metal foam materials , because of their very low density, offer considerable weight savings while almost maintaining the mechanical properties of the starting material. They are therefore also suitable for lightweight constructions .
application
Foam ceramic is used as a cheaper and at the same time more powerful filter material, e.g. B. used in vehicle catalytic converters . Foam ceramics are increasingly playing a key role in cutting-edge technology , e.g. B. as the material of the tiles of the heat shield in the space shuttle .