Patent ID: 7655180
Filing Date: 2010-02-02
Classification: C04B

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling the shrinkage of ceramic formed bodies comprising the steps of: obtaining a ceramic powder; performing a preliminary test on at least two test lots of the obtained ceramic powder comprising determining a linear correlation between the average shrinkage of the ceramic formed bodies formed from the test lots, plotted on a vertical axis, and the measured amounts of the test lots of the ground ceramic powder that were removed during respective 75-100 time intervals, plotted on a horizontal axis; charging a batch of the obtained ceramic powder into the attritor ball mill and grinding the batch of obtained ceramic powder for a predetermined time, measuring an amount of the batch of the ground ceramic powder that is removed from the attritor ball mill during the 75-100 time interval, using the linear correlation to estimate an expected shrinkage for a ceramic formed body made from the batch of the ground ceramic powder under the same processing conditions as that used in connection with the test lots, and determining a difference between a target shrinkage and the estimated expected shrinkage; and changing one or more of the processing conditions in the given set of processing conditions in order to offset the difference between the target shrinkage and the estimated expected shrinkage of the ceramic formed body made from the batch of the obtained ceramic powder.