Fractography is the means and methods for characterizing a fractured specimen or component. This includes the examination of fracture-exposed surfaces and the interpretation of the fracture markings, and the examination and interpretation of crack patterns. This article deals primarily with the first of these two parts of fractography. Techniques of fractography are presented, fracture markings are explained using glass and ceramic examples, fracture modes in ceramics are discussed, and examples of fracture origins are given.

The highly irregular morphologies of ceramic powder particles due to their process history present a challenge to binder jetting additive manufacturing (BJ-AM) ceramic powder feedstock processability, but knowledge of powder metallurgy of ceramics benefits the development and analysis of the BJ-AM ceramic processes. Understanding BJ-AM process principles and ceramics processing challenges requires reviewing a number of fundamental principles, which this article delineates. The discussion covers the processability considerations, a brief summary of some fundamental aspects of modeling of liquid permeation in the powder bed, and process capabilities and advantages of BJ-AM technology.

The characterization, testing, and nondestructive evaluation of ceramics and glasses are vital to manufacturing control, property improvement, failure prevention, and quality assurance. This article provides a broad overview of characterization methods and their relationship to property control, both in the production and use of ceramics and glasses. Important aspects covered include the means for characterizing ceramics and glasses, the corresponding rationale behind them, and relationship of chemistry, phases, and microconstituents to engineering properties. The article also describes the effects that the structure of raw ceramic materials and green products and processing parameters have on the ultimate structure and properties of the processed piece. The effects that trace chemistry and processing parameters have on glass properties are discussed. The article describes mechanical tests and failure analysis techniques used for ceramics.

There are huge numbers of publications and data available on ceramics, especially the basic types that cover their friction, wear, tribological mechanisms, high-temperature behavior, tribochemistry, and also lubrication conditions. This article summarizes the key overall research findings found in several comprehensive monographs. It discusses the types and properties of structural ceramics, as well as typical properties that govern the friction and wear of ceramics. The article reviews the superlow friction of silicon nitride and silicon carbide, and describes wear-protective hydrated tribochemical layers. It concludes with information on the tribological applications of structural ceramics and composites.

Ceramics are used widely in a number of different clinical applications in the human body. This article provides a brief history of the bioceramics field and discusses the classification of bioceramics. These include bioinert ceramics, bioactive ceramics, and bioresorbable ceramics. The article describes third-generation bioceramics, classified by Hench and Polak, such as silicate-substituted hydroxyapatite and bone morphogenic protein-carrying calcium phosphate coatings. It reviews several examination methods used to test the biocompatibility of ceramics, namely, biosafety testing, biofunctionality testing, bioactivity testing, and bioresorbability testing.

This article examines the high-temperature oxidation of silica-forming ceramics under constant temperature and cyclic conditions. The effects of water vapor, impurities, and molten salts are discussed. The article describes the oxidation and corrosion of silica-forming composites, oxide ceramics, non-silica forming nitrides, carbides, and borides. The performance of environmental barrier coatings by material type is also discussed. The article also explains the effects of oxidation and corrosion on the mechanical properties of ceramic-matrix composites. It concludes with information on high-temperature applications, wear properties, and the microscopic analyses of advanced ceramics.

Microstructural analysis reveals many important details about the qualities and capabilities of high-performance ceramics. This article explains how to prepare ceramic samples for imaging and the imaging technologies normally used. It describes sectioning, mounting, grinding, and polishing as well as ceramographic etching. It discusses common imaging approaches, including scanning electron microscopy and thin-section polarized light techniques, a type of optical microscopy. The article also addresses microstructural classification, examining detailed micrographs from samples of aluminum oxide, zirconium dioxide, aluminum nitride, silicon carbide, and piezoelectric ceramics.

Rolling-contact fatigue (RCF) is a surface damage process due to the repeated application of stresses when the surfaces of two bodies roll on each other. This article briefly describes the various surface cracks caused by manufacturing processing faults or blunt impact loads on ceramic balls surfaces. It discusses the propagation of fatigue cracks involved in rolling contacts. The characteristics of various types of RCF test machines are summarized. The article concludes with a discussion on the various failure modes of silicon nitride in rolling contact. These include the spalling fatigue failure, the delamination failure, and the rolling-contact wear.

Fractography is the means and methods for characterizing a fractured specimen or component. This includes the examination of fracture-exposed surfaces and the interpretation of the fracture markings as well as the examination and interpretation of crack patterns. This article describes the former of these two parts of fractography. It presents the techniques of fractography and explains fracture markings using glass and ceramic examples. The article also discusses the fracture modes in ceramics and provides examples of fracture origins.

Creep deformation is normally studied by applying either a constant load or a constant true stress to a material at a sufficiently high homologous temperature so that a measurable amount of creep strain occurs in a reasonable time. This article provides the phenomenological descriptions of creep and explains the testing and mechanism of creep in crystalline solids. It also presents information on the creep response of crystalline and amorphous solids.

This article introduces the concepts of linear-elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and elastic-plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM). It reviews the fracture mechanics of ceramics and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). The article describes some fracture toughness measurement techniques used on ceramics and CMCs: single edge notch bending, compact tension, double cantilever beam testing, chevron notch methods, and double torsion. It presents descriptions organized by their specimen types, and includes the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the experimental control schemes employed for each specimen type.

Hardness characterizes the resistance of the ceramic to deformation, densification, displacement, and fracture. It is usually measured with conventional microindentation hardness machines using the Knoop or the Vickers diamond indenters. This article discusses the metrology issues of the Knoop and the Vickers hardness in ceramics. It explicates how to estimate fracture toughness from Vickers indentation cracking. The article also provides information on instrumented hardness testing and the Meyer law.

Split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) testing is traditionally used for determining the plastic properties of metals (which are softer than the pressure bar material) at high strain rates. However, the use of this method for testing ceramic has various limitations. This article provides a discussion on the operational principle of the traditional SHPB technique and the relevant assumptions in the derivation of the stress-strain relationship. It describes the inherent limitations on the validity of these assumptions in testing ceramics and discusses the necessary modifications in SHPB design and test procedure for evaluating high-strength brittle ceramics. The article includes information on the maximum strain rate that can be obtained in ceramics using an SHPB and the necessity of incident pulse shaping. It also reviews the specimen design considerations, interpretation of experimental results obtained from SHPB testing of ceramics, and effectiveness of the proposed modifications.

This article reviews the general mechanical properties and test methods commonly used for ceramics and three categories of polymers, namely, fibers, plastics, and elastomers. The mechanical test methods for determining the tensile strength, yield strength, yield point, and elongation of plastics include the short-term tensile test, the compressive strength test, the flexural strength test, and the heat deflection temperature test. The most commonly used tests for impact performance of plastics are the Izod notched-beam test, the Charpy notched-beam test, and the dart penetration test. Two basic test methods for a group or strand of fibers are the single-filament tension and tow tensile tests. Room temperature strength tests, high-temperature strength tests, and proof tests are used for testing the properties of ceramics.

This article provides a discussion on various types of glasses: traditional glasses, specialty glasses, and glass ceramics. It provides information on glazes and enamels and reviews the broad classes of ceramic materials. These include whitewares, structural clay products, technical ceramics, refractories, structural ceramics, engineering ceramics, and electronic and magnetic ceramics. General processing variables that can affect structure and compositional homogeneity are discussed. Traditional ceramics that include both oxide and nonoxide ceramics are also reviewed. The article concludes with several examples of engineering ceramics.

This article is a comprehensive collection of engineering property data in tabulated form for ceramics and glasses. Data are provided for physical and mechanical properties of ceramic materials and color of ceramics fired under oxidizing and reducing conditions. The article also lists the materials characterization techniques for ceramics and glasses.

Ceramics usually require some form of machining prior to use to meet dimensional and surface quality standards. This article focuses on abrasive machining, particularly grinding, and addresses common methods and critical process factors. It covers cylindrical, centerless, and disk grinding and provides information on tooling, wheel selection, work material, and operational factors. It also discusses precision slicing and slotting, lapping, honing, and polishing as well as abrasive waterjet, electrical discharge, laser, and ultrasonic machining.

Ceramic and glass manufacturers take environmental regulations into consideration during all stages of the product cycle, from research and development to purchasing, processing, end use, and disposal. Ceramic and glass products are finding application in the construction industry and as raw materials for other processes. This article describes the recycling of in-process scrap and industrial wastes (fly ash, red mud, metallurgical waste, and other waste products), and applications of these recycled products. It focuses on environmental regulations such as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act requires all states to meet minimum emissions standards for nitrogen-oxygen compounds, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide.

Many applications of ceramics and glasses require them to be joined to each other or to other materials such as metals. This article focuses on ceramic joining technologies, including glass-metal sealing, glass-ceramic/metal joining, ceramic-metal joining, ceramic-ceramic joining, and the more advanced joining of nonoxide ceramics. It also discusses metallizing, brazing, diffusion bonding, and chemical bonding.

This article describes testing and characterization methods of ceramics for chemical analysis, phase analysis, microstructural analysis, macroscopic property characterization, strength and proof testing, thermophysical property testing, and nondestructive evaluation techniques. Chemical analysis is carried out by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and plasma-emission spectrophotometry. Phase analysis is done by X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic methods, thermal analysis, and quantitative analysis. Techniques used for microstructural analysis include reflected light microscopy using polarized light, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive analysis of X-rays, and wavelength dispersive analysis of X-rays. Macroscopic property characterization involves measurement of porosity, density, and surface area. The article describes testing methods such as room and high-temperature strength test methods, proof testing, fracture toughness measurement, and hardness and wear testing. It also explains methods for determining thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and emissivity of ceramics and glass and measurement of these properties as a function of temperature.