ABSTRACT
Advanced ceramics have been the focus of research and development in the past 20 years as materials for tribological applications. This chapter briefly reviews the structure, processing techniques, and properties of five important classes of advanced structural ceramics: alumina, zirconia, silicon nitride, sialon, and silicon carbide. This review is followed by a discussion of some typical applications in which these materials are being used or may be used in the near future. These applications are classified into five categories based on the inherent properties of the ceramics that are exploited in the application: resistance to abrasion and erosion, resistance to corrosive wear, wear resistance at elevated temperatures, low density, and thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties.
