Ceramic capacitors are extremely sensitive to mechanical stress. Even slight bending and especially torsional forces can quickly lead to cracks and subsequently to fires. Often, burning ceramic capacitors are underrated in the electronics industry although they may pose a substantial problem.
Ceramic capacitors may catch fire for various reasons. Mechanical stresses such as bending and torsional forces can cause cracks in the ceramic material, which may then lead to short circuits and overheating. Electrical overvoltage, inadequate heat dissipation, and poor solder connections are other common causes of burning ceramic capacitors.
Even slight bending and especially torsional forces can quickly lead to cracks and subsequently to fires. Often, burning ceramic capacitors are underrated in the electronics industry although they may pose a substantial problem. RoodMicrotec offers effective solutions for this problem.
For most capacitors, a physically conditioned dielectric strength or a breakdown voltage usually could be specified for each dielectric material and thickness. This is not possible with ceramic capacitors.
Along with the style of ceramic chip capacitors, ceramic disc capacitors are often used as safety capacitors in electromagnetic interference suppression applications. Besides these, large ceramic power capacitors for high voltage or high frequency transmitter applications are also to be found.
A ceramic capacitor is a fixed-value capacitor where the ceramic material acts as the dielectric. It is constructed of two or more alternating layers of ceramic and a metal layer acting as the electrodes. The composition of the ceramic material defines the electrical behavior and therefore applications.