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Although ceramics have been used by man for many centuries, until
recently their applications have been limited by their mechanical properties.
Unlike metals, most ceramics materials do not exhibit a non-linear plastic
region before failure. Instead, ceramics
are known to be brittle and fail catastrophically. Their application in
engineering applications has certainly been limited by their lack of toughness.
Applications
Ceramics are used in a variety of applications:
- Compressive strength makes ceramics good structural materials (e.g., bricks in houses,
stone blocks in the pyramids)
- High voltage insulators and spark plugs are made from ceramics
due to its electrical conductivity properties
- Good thermal insulation has ceramic tiles used in ovens and as exterior tiles on
the Shuttle orbiter
- Some ceramics are transparent to radar and other electromagnetic waves
and are used in radomes and transmitters
- Hardness, abrasion resistance, imperviousness to high temperatures and extremely
caustic conditions allow ceramics to be used in special applications where no other
material can be used
- Chemical inertness makes ceramics ideal for biomedical applications like orthopaedic
prostheses and dental implants
- Glass-ceramics, due to their high temperature capabilities, leads to
uses in optical equipment and fiber insulation
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