Novel method for the identification of the maximum solid loading suitable for optimal extrusion of ceramic pastes

Gadolinia-doped ceria ceramic pastes were formulated with different solid loadings and extruded using lab-scale equipment. The force to maintain a constant ram speed of 10 mm/min was recorded. The radial shrinkage after drying was proportional to the solid loading and this allowed the determination of the maximum solid loading by an extrapolation procedure. In order to obtain the apparent viscosity of the pastes, a novel approach based on the analysis of the slope of the extrusion pressure plot versus distance covered by the ram, was formulated for the direct determination of the shear stress upon extrusion. The agreement of the determined maximum solid loading with values calculated by two existing models confirmed that the proposed approach was an alternative and reliable method to identify the upper limit of the solid loading range for the formulation of extrudable ceramic pastes.