Abstract
The term ceramic comes from the Greek word keramikos, which means burnt substance. The desirable properties of these materials are normally achieved through a high-temperature heat treatment called firing. Up until the past sixty years, the most important materials in this class were called traditional ceramics, for which the raw material is clay, e.g. china, bricks, tiles and in addition, glasses and high-temperature ceramics. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding the fundamental character of these materials and of the phenomena that occur in them that are responsible for their unique properties. Consequently, a new generation of these materials has evolved, and the term ceramic has taken on a much broader meaning. These new materials are applied in, e.g. electronics, computers, communication technology, biomedical implants and aerospace.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Vieweg+Teubner Verlag | Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Eisenbach, I. (2011). Ceramics. In: English for Materials Science and Engineering. Vieweg+Teubner. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8348-9955-2_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-8348-9955-2_4
Publisher Name: Vieweg+Teubner
Print ISBN: 978-3-8348-0957-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-8348-9955-2
eBook Packages: Computer Science and Engineering (German Language)