How Hard Is The Ceramic Ball ???

C

clockman

Joined
Jan 14, 2009
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I called Chris to talk to him about a couple of things about the zann.He

started talking talking about the hardness of the ceramic ball.Its VERY

hard.On the rockwell scale its 90.The moors(sp?) which runs from 1 to 10.

A diamond is a 10.A topaz is a 9.5 the same as the ceramic ball.

Ceramic balls are used in machinery that runs at 20,000 to 120,000 rpm.

He said several more things about it but these are the main points he made.

He did recearch before he came up before he decided to use the ceramic

ball.I dont think we need to worry about the ceramic ball wearing out!!!
 
You shouldn't have told them that. Now people will worry about the ceramic ball "cutting" into the blade....." What happens if my ceramic ball makes a mark in the blade when the moon is full and my belly is full of tacos. Is my 'zaan ok?"
TC
 
that's good to know, thanks for sharing, as recent posts created some doubts here and there about the ball's durability.

I'm about to make a new post about the ceramic ball's movement, maybe you have some info on that too.
 
Si3N4 vs Steel as a Bearing Material
Property Typical Steel CERBEC Si3N4 CERBEC Difference
Density [g/cc] 7.6 3.2 -58% Lighter
Hardness [Vickers] 700 1550 +121% Harder
Elastic Modulus [GPa] 190 320 +68% Stiffer
Thermal Expansion Coefficient (10-6K)
[RT to 800C] 12.3 2.9 -76%
Max Usage Temperature [°C] 320 1000 +680%°C
Surface Finish Grade 5 [micron] 0.02 0.005 +75% Smoother
Material Fatigue, Life Wear Resistance - <10x <10x
 
bigmark408 said:
Si3N4 vs Steel as a Bearing Material
Property Typical Steel CERBEC Si3N4 CERBEC Difference
Density [g/cc] 7.6 3.2 -58% Lighter
Hardness [Vickers] 700 1550 +121% Harder
Elastic Modulus [GPa] 190 320 +68% Stiffer
Thermal Expansion Coefficient (10-6K)
[RT to 800C] 12.3 2.9 -76%
Max Usage Temperature [°C] 320 1000 +680%°C
Surface Finish Grade 5 [micron] 0.02 0.005 +75% Smoother
Material Fatigue, Life Wear Resistance - <10x <10x
Click to expand...

What ???........:D
 
nyefmaker said:
What ???........:D
Click to expand...

:D In layman's terms...it's almost as hard as a diamond....it is very smooth, extremely round and will not eat a groove in the blade side or blade tang....what you are seeing that looks like wear is the stonewash being polished (basically).....the small amount of wear that it creates on the blade tang is just that....do some research on shot peening and that may help to understand.
 
My nly concern, and what may keep me from owning a Zaan is the ball is just one more thing that I would worry about being damaged.

Ceramic can shatter much like glass, not saying it will, or that a knife would be expeced to handle forces that would break it. Or that it would eventually work loose and fall out.

Not that the design is flawed, I just see it as something else to fail. If it were simply designed like a ball detent and titanium made the lock bars face I think I'd feel better about it.
 
65535 go back and reread my thread.The moors scales goes from 1 to 10.

A daimond is 10, tapaz is 9.5 the same as the cemamic ball.

HOW is something that Hard going to shatter when its pressed in place???

What youre saying doesnt Make Any Sense.
 
It's called the Mohs scale, actually. It does run from 1 to 10, and ceramic is 9. Or 9,5 if you wish, possibly. Something that hard CAN be shattered just like 65535 said, no problem. I work with sapphire watch-crystals (9 Mohs as well) and they are just as vulnerable as common glass (5 to 6 Mohs). Even a diamond (10 Mohs, yep) can be shattered with a hard enough impact.

The number of threads on this subject is getting a bit out of hand IMNSHO, BTW. Just enjoy the damn thing!

:rolleyes: ;)
 
Worrying about the ceramic ball stattering if you drop your zaan from a 10

story building should be the least of your worries!
 
If you seriously might work in a position to shatter the ball, you need to reconsider a few things. 1) what line of work do you do? I suggest to stop fighting the incredible hulk or superman. 2) A fixed blade might be better for you. You should never rely on a lock to such extremes. If your putting thousands a pounds of pressure on a lock I think the lock failing it the least of your concerns.

Just enjoy your knife.
 
Interesting. I wonder if the 90 Rockwell hardness would also apply to ceramic blade hardness?

- Mark
 
Mark J said:
Interesting. I wonder if the 90 Rockwell hardness would also apply to ceramic blade hardness?

- Mark
Click to expand...

I've been using a Kyocera ceramic Chef's knife in my kitchen for well over a year and it has not needed sharpening. It's good for meat and vegetables, but do not use it on bone.
 
Thalestin said:
If you seriously might work in a position to shatter the ball, you need to reconsider a few things. 1) what line of work do you do? I suggest to stop fighting the incredible hulk or superman.
Click to expand...

Awesome.:D:thumbup:
 
ive used ceramic stones to sharpen my knives for a couple years now with NO wear to them. even the toughest to sharpen are touched up very easily. i wouldnt worry about ceramic being the weak point in a knife design
 
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