ABSTRACT
Chapters 2-7 addressed the grain dependence of mechanical properties of nominally dense monolithic ceramics, and Chapters 8-11 addressed the particle (and matrix grain) dependence of mechanical properties of ceramic composites. This chapter presents both a summary and a perspective on both topics, clearly showing the extensive commonality of the dependence of monolithic and composite ceramics (with little or no porosity) on their microstructures. To provide additional perspective beyond this summary, three additional topics are briefly addressed. First, before proceeding to the summary, the grain and particle dependences of some other properties of monolithic and composite ceramics are outlined, e.g. since such dependences must be considered along with those of mechanical properties in applications where both mechanical and nonmechanical properties are important. Then following the summary, needs to improve both the understanding and the performance of ceramic materials and some approaches to doing this are briefly discussed.
