Ceramics

The term ceramics is derived from the Greek word Keramos that means burnt stuff. Ceramics are inorganic, non-metallic materials that are processed and/or used at high temperatures. Some characteristics of the ceramics are following:

• These are generally hard, brittle material that withstand high compressive strength but weaker in tension as compared to metals.
• These are abrasion resistant, heat resistant and be able to sustain large compressive load even at high temperatures.
• Many ceramics are chemically inert even at high temperatures, etc. Table 5 described the types and general characteristics of ceramics.

Table 5 : Types and General Characteristics of Ceramics

Table 6 represent the range of properties of several ceramics at room temperature.

Table 6: Approximate Range of Properties of Various Ceramics at Room Temperature