Читать книгу Transparent Ceramics - Adrian Goldstein - Страница 16

Designed transparent ceramic samples are always in competition with other transparent materials, like glasses or single crystals. A transparent ceramic may become commercially relevant only if in addition to technical performance, it also makes sense economically, namely, it can be manufactured at a competitive cost. For example, spinel MgAl₂O₄-based transparent armor strike-faces of large size can now be fabricated, exhibiting excellent performance; however, their price is still prohibitive, leaving most of the market to all-glass or glass + glass-ceramic offers. Processing costs are usually the determinant factor, but in some cases characterization costs also need consideration. The relative weight of these two aspects varies among different applications and may also change over time.