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ESK NEWS

Successful quality management system
July 27, 2009

On July 23, ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG successfully passed the surveillance audit of its quality management system to ISO 9001:2008 and 14001:2004. In the audited departments, the two auditors from TÜV Süd were able to satisfy themselves that the ESK quality management system is not only systematically implemented but also developing continuously.

ESK Successfully Recertifies for the Automotive Industry
July 25, 2009

ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co. KG has successfully renewed the certification of its quality management system to ISO TS 16949 in the field of surface engineering. This ESK business division primarily produces high-friction coatings on materials for the automotive industry.

TITANIUM DIBORIDE THERMOCOUPLE PROTECTION TUBES

TITANIUM DIBORIDE (TiB2) THERMOCOUPLE PROTECTION TUBES

As a result of the presence of cryolite, an extremely corrosive atmosphere prevails in electrolysis cells for primary aluminum production. Until now it was not possible to use engineering ceramic products (e.g. thermocouple protection tubes) in this environment. As a result, fundamental process control parameters, such as temperatures, could only be determined periodically by immersing the instruments - if at all.

A titanium diboride (TiB2) material that has been newly developed and patented by ESK now, for the first time, allows permanent application of ceramic products in primary aluminum electrolysis cells. As a result, ESK can produce, e.g. thermocouple protection tubes for continuous measurements, from TiB2.

Properties

The titanium diboride material from ESK combines outstanding physical properties with extreme corrosion resistance. The physical properties include a Knoop hardness of almost 2600, flexural strength of 500 MPa, and a fracture toughness of 8. It is particularly important for the aluminum industry that this TiB2 is resistant to cryolite and aluminum.

Application

The high thermal conductivity of 54 W/mK permits the temperature variation in the cell to be tracked very accurately and with excellent time response. The optimization of the electricity supply to the cell that this permits results in a reduced energy consumption and higher productivity.

fileadmin/esk/plain/titandiborid_tib2-e.html
Material properties Norm Symbol/Unit Titanium Diboride
Density DIN EN 623-2 ρ [g/cm3] >4.50
Porosity DIN EN 623-2 P [%] <1.5
Knoop hardness DIN EN 843-4 HK 0.1 [GPa] 25.6
Young's modulus DIN EN 843-2 E [GPa] 575
Flexural strength, 4-pt bending DIN EN 843-1 σB [MPa] 500
Weibull modulus DIN EN 843-5 m 16
Poisson ratio ν 0.11
Klc (SENB) Klc [MPa·m0,5] 8.0
Coefficient of thermal expansion DIN EN 821-1
20°C - 500°C α [10-6/K] 6.7
500°C - 1000°C α [10-6/K] 8.2
Thermal conductivity DIN EN 821-2
at 50°C λ [W/m K] 54
Specific electrical
resistance at 20°C		 ρ [Ω cm] 2·10-5