The European Ceramic Society

Laboratory sheet

Austria

Lehrstuhl für Gesteinshüttenkunde – Montanuniversitaet Leoben

Chair of Ceramics

Director : Prof. Harald HARMUTH

Email : harald.harmuth@unileoben.ac.at

Phone : +43 3842 402 3201

Address : Franz Josef-Strasse 18, 8700 LEOBEN

Research topics :

With respect to materials the scope of the chair of ceramics comprises ordinary ceramic refractories, slags, mineral binders, concrete, glass, and non refractory ceramics with a main focus on refractories slags and melts, mineral binders and building materials. With respect to methods applied, research concentrates on microstructural characterization, determination of properties (mechanical and fracture mechanical properties, properties of melts and slags), failure analysis, simulation of thermomechanical material behavior, CFD simulation and thermochemical calculation.

Selected topics: 

  • Thermomechanical material models for ordinary ceramic refractories.
  • Simulation of refractory lining behavior and design.
  • DE simulation of ordinary ceramic structures.
  • Nonoxides for refractory applications.
  • Corrosion of refractory components in slags.
  • CFD simulation assisting investigations of slag/refractory and slag/steel interaction.
  • Alternative mineral hydraulic binders.

Exceptional facilities :

High temperature fracture mechanical testing equipment; uniaxial high temperature compressive and tensile creep testing; high temperature dissolution testing device; Double/Single Hot Thermocouple Technique for investigation of slag crystallization; hot stage microscopy.

Financial support programmes :

  • European fundings: ETN ATHOR
  • National fundings: COMET (K1 Met, K2 IC-MPPE)

Latest news

New Impact factors released for the 2 ECerS Journals!

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 Impact Factors were released for the two official Journals of the European Ceramic Society:

  • Journal of ECerS: 6.3
  • Open Ceramics: 3.4
Jun 18, 2026
Next JECS Trust Call for projects: IMPORTANT CHANGES

We draw your attention on the following decisions from the JECS Trust Board:

  • The deadline for submission of Mobility only projects of 31st August 2026 is cancelled
  • The deadline for submission of Mobility and General Activity projects of 31st May is postponed to 30th June 2026
  • Only students members of ECerS can apply for Mobility projects 
May 18, 2026

Information

Contact us for any information: info@ecers.org - We will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.

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Our actions

ECerS coordinates and promotes the study of ceramics through the following actions :

ECerS office

Av. Gouverneur Cornez , 4

7000 Mons

Belgium

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