Ceramic engineering
The Materials Science Tetrahedron
Ceramic engineering
is the science and
technology
of
creating
objects
from
inorganic, non-metallic materials by the ac-
tion of heat. The term includes the purifica-
tion of raw materials, the study and produc-
tion of the chemical compounds concerned,
their formation into components and the
study of their structure, composition and
properties.[1] Ceramic materials may have a
crystalline or partly crystalline structure,
with long-range order on a molecular scale.
Glass ceramics may have an amorphous or
glassy structure, with limited or short-range
molecular order. They are either formed from
a molten mass that solidifies on cooling, or
formed and matured by the action of heat. [2]
The word "ceramic" is derived from the
Greek word κεραμικός (keramikos) meaning
pottery. It is related to the older Sanskrit
root "to burn",[3] "Ceramic" may be used as a
noun in the singular to refer to a ceramic ma-
terial or the product of ceramic manufacture,
or as an adjective. The plural "ceramics" may
be used to refer the making of things out of
ceramic materials.
Ceramic engineering is the technology
of the manufacturing and usage of ceramic
materials. The special character of ceramic
materials gives rise to many engineering ap-
plications and ceramics have attracted the at-
tention of engineers in electrical engineering,
materials engineering, chemical engineering
and mechanical engineering. As ceramics are
heat resistant, they can be used for many
tasks that materials like metal and polymers
are unsuitable for. Ceramic engineers seek
new applications for ceramic materials and
try to mitigate the problems arising from
their limitations. They work in a wide range
of industries, including mining, aerospace,
medicine, refinery, the food industry, the
chemical industry, packaging science, elec-
tronics, industrial electricity and transmis-
sion electricity.
Applications
The products of technical ceramics include
tiles used in the Space Shuttle program, gas
burner nozzles, ballis