Thermal shock study of ceramic materials subjected to heating using a simple developed test method

• A simple test method for the ascending thermal shock of ceramics is developed.
• The target thermal shock temperature during testing can be controlled accurately.
• The temperature is more evenly distributed in the surface of specimen under heating.
• The retained strength of specimen without cracks on surface can degrade seriously.
• Microstructure evolution in the interior of ceramics has great effect on the TSR.

The research for the thermal shock resistance of ceramic materials during the ascending thermal shock has great significance. In this paper, a simple test method for the thermal shock testing of ceramic materials during heating is developed by refitting the quenching furnace. The method can control the target temperature of thermal shock and temperature distribution in the surface of materials better compared to the existing commonly used testing methods. During the testing, the specimen is designed to fall into a furnace chamber with a desired thermal shock temperature accurately and momentarily. The retained flexural strength of the specimen after thermal shocking is obtained. The results show that the thermal shock resistance of ceramic materials is very sensitive to the thermal shock temperature. The retained flexural strength of specimen without optical cracks on the surface can degrade seriously owing to the emergence of cracks in the interior of materials. The microstructure evolution in the interior of materials such as the phase transition has great effect on the thermal shock resistance of ceramic materials. This study will provide the technical reserves and theoretical bases for the research of the thermal shock resistance of ceramic materials under heating.