Surface roughness, ceramics

The aesthetic quality of a sintered ceramic is also an important physical characteristic. Surface imperfections such as blemishes, blisters, burrs, or cracks are generally characterized by visual inspection. Camber (i.e., waviness or bow) can be assessed from the physical dimensions of the ceramic. Surface roughness can be characterized using profilometry. ... 

Poon, C. Y. andBhhushan, B., Surface Roughness Analysis of Glass-Ceramic Substrates and Finished Magnetic Disks, and Ni-P Coated Al-Mg and Glass Substrates," Wear, Vol. 190, 1995,pp. 89-109. 

Many kinds of artificial hip joints are available commercially, but they all consist of the same parts, i.e. a metal stem or shaft, usually made of a titanium alloy and a ceramic head of aluminium or zirconium oxide. The production of the ceramic head starts with a powder and ends with the sintering process. The heat treatment will cause the head to shrink. After production, the head is thoroughly tested, e.g. on its spherical shape and surface roughness. 

In the preparation of multi-layered ceramic membranes, the quality of the support is of crucial importance to the integrity of the membrane layers that are applied in the subsequent preparation steps. First, the surface roughness and homogeneity of the support will determine the integrity of these membrane layers, and, second the surface roughness determines the minimal thickness of the membrane layer for complete surface coverage. 

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