Comparison Of The Mechanical And Tribological Properties Of A Sintered Low Expansion Li2O-Al202-Si02 Glass-Ceramic And A Commercial Cooktop Plate

The mechanical and tribological properties of a new sintered lithium aluminium silicate (LAS) glass-ceramic were compared to those of a commercially produced Ceran, used in cooktops. The sintered material has no nucleating agents and was obtained by viscous sintering with concurrent surface crystallisation of a glass powder compared whereas the Ceran sample was cut from a plate produced by Schott in the traditional way. Tribological experiments were carried out sing a tribometer with reciprocating sliding ball-on-flat method in two controlled conditions: namely 52% relative humidity at 23 deg C and with running water at the same temperature. The tribological tests in dry conditions revealed that the sintered glass-ceramic has slightly lower wear rates than Ceran. Under wet conditions, both materials had lower friction coefficients than in dry conditions, but their wear rates were higher. Based on the results, plus an additional thermo-mechanical evaluation, it was suggested that this new sintered glass ceramic could be an alternative suitable material for cooktops.