ON THE FABRICATION OF CERAMIC WINDINGS

Components in the form of springs and windings were fabricated from technical ceramics by the extrusion of a polymer-ceramic suspension. Control of thermomechanical properties of the suspension allowed the ceramic to be extruded as a wire and to be plastically worked under gentle heating. The organic component of the blend was removed by pyrolysis before sintering the ceramic powder. This method may be particularly suited to the production of hightemperature ceramic springs, heating elements and ceramic superconductor windings for electrical power applications. Defects produced during removal of the polymer and the methods used to avoid them, shed light on the complex processes taking place in crowded suspensions during extraction of the organic vehicle. © 1990 Chapman and Hall Ltd.