Ceramics normally have high melting temperatures, excellent chemical stability and, due to the absence of conduction electrons, tend to be good electrical and thermal insulators. They are also inherently hard and brittle, and when loaded in tension, have almost no tolerance for flaws. This chapter describes the applications, properties, and behaviors of some of the more widely used structural ceramics, including alumina, aluminum titanate, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, zirconia, zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA), magnesia-partially stabilized zirconia (Mg-PSZ), and yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (Y-TZP). It also provides information on materials selection, design optimization, and joining methods, and covers every step of the ceramic production process.

Corrosion testing and monitoring are powerful tools in the fight to control corrosion. This chapter provides a general overview of three major categories of corrosion tests, namely laboratory tests, pilot-plant tests, and field tests. It begins with brief sections describing the purposes of corrosion tests, the logical steps in a test program, and the preparation and cleaning of test specimens. The focus then moves on to discuss the types and applications of these test categories and the associated evaluation procedures. Excluding electrochemical tests which are addressed separately in this chapter, the other laboratory tests covered under this category are simulated atmosphere tests, salt-spray tests, and immersion tests. Only corrosion testing in the atmosphere is discussed in the section on field tests. Corrosion monitoring techniques are finally considered, covering the characteristics of corrosion monitoring techniques, the factors to be considered in selecting a corrosion-monitoring method, and the strategies in corrosion monitoring.