Methods for determining mixedness of batch material and for obtaining substantially consistent mixedness of batch material

• US 8,503,816 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2011
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Erskine, Kevin Michael, George, Jacob, Halder, Amit, McCauley, Daniel Edward, Schermerhorn, Andrew Paul, Tandia, Adama
• Primary Examiner(s): Kassa, Yosef
• Application Number:
  US13/087,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20120264586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 382/274, 382/275, 382/278, 358/3.26, 358/3.27, 358/463
• US Class Current: 382/274
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3213 Strontium oxides or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2235/3227 Lanthanum oxide or oxide-forming salts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/478 based on aluminium titanates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 35/62635 Mixing details

Abstract

The disclosure relates to methods for determining mixedness of batch material for making ceramic ware, and methods for obtaining substantially consistent mixedness of batch material for making ceramic ware.

Claims

1. A method for determining mixedness of a batch material for making ceramic ware, said method comprising:

(a) obtaining at least one SEM image of a batch material;

(b) adjusting the grey-scale of the at least one SEM image to reduce visibility of particles comprising the batch material except for particles comprising at least one high atomic weight element, and to retain visibility of particles comprising at least one high atomic weight element; and

(c) applying an algorithm to an area of the grey-scale-adjusted at least one SEM image to determine a homogeneity index value for the batch material;

wherein the algorithm comprises computing a spatial distribution of the particles of the at least one high atomic weight element, developing a corresponding random distribution, and calculating the homogeneity index value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the homogeneity index value is calculated using the following formula:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the spatial distribution of the particles of the at least one high atomic weight element is determined by a nearest neighbor technique.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the batch material is an aluminum titanate ceramic-body-forming batch material.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the particles of at least one high atomic weight element are chosen from particles comprising lanthanum and particles comprising strontium.

6. The method of claim 1, where in the particles of at least one high atomic weight element comprise particles of at least two high atomic weight elements.

7. A method for obtaining, during processing, substantially consistent mixedness of a batch material for making ceramic ware, said method comprising:

(a) obtaining an SEM image of batch material;

(b) adjusting the grey-scale of the SEM image to reduce visibility of particles comprising the batch material except for particles comprising at least one high atomic weight element, and to retain visibility of particles comprising at least one high atomic weight element;

(c) applying an algorithm to an area of the grey-scale-adjusted SEM image to determine a homogeneity index value of the batch material;

(d) comparing the homogeneity index value of the batch material to a standard homogeneity value; and

(e) modifying at least one process parameter if the homogeneity index value is substantially less than the standard homogeneity value,

wherein the algorithm comprises computing a spatial distribution of the particles of the at least one high atomic weight element, developing a corresponding random distribution, and calculating the homogeneity index value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the homogeneity index value is calculated using the following formula:

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the spatial distribution of the particles of the at least one high atomic weight element is determined by a nearest neighbor technique.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the batch material is a ceramic-body-forming batch material.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the batch material is an aluminum titanate ceramic-body-forming batch material.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the particles of at least one high atomic weight element comprise particles of at least two high atomic weight elements.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one process parameter is chosen from batch material feed rate, extruder rotations per minute, and raw material benefication.

14. A method for determining mixedness of an aluminum-titanate ceramic body-forming batch material, said method comprising:

(d) obtaining at least one SEM image of a batch material;

(e) adjusting the grey-scale of the at least one SEM image to reduce visibility of particles comprising the batch material except for particles comprising lanthanum or strontium, and to retain visibility of particles comprising lanthanum or particles comprising strontium; and

(f) applying an algorithm to an area of the grey-scale-adjusted at least one SEM image to determine a homogeneity index value for the batch material;

wherein the algorithm comprises computing a spatial distribution of the particles comprising lanthanum and particles comprising strontium, developing a corresponding random distribution, and calculating the homogeneity index value.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the homogeneity index value is calculated using the following formula:

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the spatial distribution of the particles of the at least one high atomic weight element is determined by a nearest neighbor technique.