PNNL Materials Science and Technology (MST) Course handbook

[Magnolia Mud Research]

I posted earlier to "Building a kiln" in "Equipment Use and Repair" an excerpt from the "Materials Science and Technology (MST) Course" handbook which had an example of a small smokeless Raku kiln.  The three page pdf contained a ceramics chemistry lesson plan to be implemented by use of a Raku kiln. 

I am posting here a recommendation for the full handbook.

Wieda KJ, MJ Schweiger, M Bliss, SG Pitman, and EA Eschbach.  2008.  Materials Science and Technology Teachers Handbook.  PNNL-17764, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA. digital. https://www.pnnl.gov/publications/abstracts.asp?report=244262   

extracts from the abstract on PNNL website 

   "The MST course was developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, under support from the U.S. Department of Energy.     ...
   This introductory course combines the academic disciplines of chemistry, physics, and engineering to create a MST curriculum. The course covers the fundamentals of ceramics, glass, metals, polymers, and composites. Designed to appeal to a broad range of students, the course combines hands-on activities, demonstrations and long term student project descriptions. The basic philosophy of the course is for students to observe, experiment, record, question, seek additional information, and, through creative and insightful thinking, solve problems related to [MST]. 
   The MST Teacher Handbook contains a course description, philosophy, student learning objectives, and instructional approach and processes. ... The course is intended to meet local educational requirements for technology, vocational, and science education."

Section 6 is dedicated to ceramics and covers these topics (from the handbook toc):
Introduction, Thermal Shock, Glass Bead on a Wire, Glass Bending and Blowing,  Standard Glass Batching, Glass Melting, Dragon Tears/Dragon Dribble,  Glass Coloring, Glass Fusing, Stained Glass, Making Raku,  6.49
Ceramic Slip Casting,  Making Glass from Soil, Making and Testing Superconductors, and Vocabulary.  

The handbook was written for teachers as an introductory information source of material science and covers areas that should be understood by us potters.  

The entire handbook is available here: 
http://www.pnl.gov/main/publications/external/technical_reports/PNNL-17764.pdf 

LT

PS  Perhaps Pres will post test questions at 11.

[glazenerd]

LT:

chapter six is an interesting read. The thermal shock tested on aluminum rods got my attention. Alumina ratios have been on my radar for sometime. In an earlier chapter, a recommendation  for using a microscope with polarized light source was made: answered another question I had. The opening phase change diagrams confirmed  some thoughts as well.

[Magnolia Mud Research]

19 hours ago, glazenerd said:

 … The thermal shock tested on aluminum rods got my attention. 

glazenerd:

the handbook  says aluminum oxide rods