THE INFLUENCE OF THE TAPE-CASTING PROCESS PARAMETERS ON THE GEOMETRICCHARACTERISTICS OF SIC TAPES

The production process of the tape-casting technique applied to the pr oduction of porous ceramic membranes, suitable for the separation of d ifferent chemical species, has been explored, with emphasis on the inf luence of the operative parameters on the macrogeometric characteristi cs of the manufactured ceramic porous tapes. The effects of the slurry casting rate, the doctor blade height and the mean particle diameter have been studied and the results reported. The characterization analy ses indicate the degree of reliability of this technique to produce pl anar SiC components and the importance of the particle size in enhanci ng the structural homogeneity. A study on the variance analysis (ANOVA ) determined that important operative parameters influencing the thick ness of the planar components are, in order of importance, the doctor blade height acid the slurry casting rate. The squared terms H-r(2), V -p(2) and the interaction term VpHr have very little influence on the value of log(S). (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.