ASTM Committee C28: International Standards for Properties and Performance of Advanced Ceramics‐Three Decades of High‐Quality, Technically‐Rigorous Normalization

Abstract

Physical and mechanical properties and performance of advanced ceramics and glasses are difficult to measure correctly without the proper techniques. For over three decades, ASTM Committee C28 on Advanced Ceramics, has developed high-quality, technically-rigorous, fullconsensus standards (e.g., test methods, practices, guides, terminology) to measure properties and performance of monolithic and composite ceramics that may be applied to glasses in some cases. These standards contain testing particulars for many mechanical, physical, thermal, properties and performance of these materials. As a result these standards are used to generate accurate, reliable, repeatable and complete data. Within Committee C28, users, producers, researchers, designers, academicians, etc. have written, continually updated, and validated through round-robin test programs, 50 standards since the Committee's founding in 1986. This paper provides a detailed retrospective of the 30 years of ASTM Committee C28 including a graphical pictogram listing of C28 standards along with examples of the tangible benefits of standards for advanced ceramics to demonstrate their practical applications. KEYWORDS -ceramics, composites, coatings, standards, characterizations, properties, measurements. turbine vanes and blades, ball bearings, hip joints, ballistic armor, window panes, cutting blades, sensors, and electrolytes, to name a few. Of particularly interest for the market prognosticators were high-temperature applications such as heat engines, both reciprocating and turbines [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14].Recognizing the rapidly expanding applications of advanced ceramics, the Engineering Ceramics Division of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) evolved out of the long-standing Ceramic-Metal Systems Division in 1985. Similarly, Committee C28 "Advanced Ceramics" of American Society for Testing and Materials (now ASTM International) was formed as a new standalone committee separate from a subcommittee within Committee C08 "Refractories" in 1986 [5][6][7][8][9].ASTM Committee C28 has the following scope [15, 16]: the promotion of knowledge, stimulation of research and development of standards (classifications, specifications, nomenclature, test methods, guides, and practices) relating to processing, properties, characterization, and performance of advanced ceramic materials. Committee C28 works in concert with other technical committees (e.g., D30 "Composite Materials," E07 "Non Destructive Testing," E08 "Fatigue and Fracture," E28 "Mechanical Testing," F04 "Medical and Surgical Materials and Devices", and G02 "Wear and Erosion") and other national and international organizations having mutual or related interests.Standards for monolithic and composite advanced ceramics are developed and maintained by Committee C28 [15, 16]. These standards cover methods for testing bulk properties as well as constituent (powders, fibers, etc.) properties. Thermal and physical properties, strengths and strength distributions, and performance under varying environ...