Discovered by Edward G. Acheson about 1890, silicon carbide is one of the oldest materials and also a new material. It occurs naturally in meteorites, but in very small amounts and is not in a useable state as an industrial material. For industrial require ments, large amounts of silicon carbide must be synthesized by solid state reactions at high temperatures. Silicon carbide has been used for grinding and as an abrasive material since its discovery. During World War II, silicon carbide was used as a heating element; however, it was difficult to obtain high density sintered silicon carbide bodies. In 1974, S. Prochazka reported that the addition of small amounts of boron compounds and carbide were effective in the sintering process to obtain high density. It was then possible to produce high density sintered bodies by pressureless sintering methods in ordinary atmosphere. Since this development, silicon carbide has received great attention as one of the high temperature structural ceramic materials. Since the 1970s, many research papers have appeared which report studies of silicon carbide and silicon nitride for structural ceramics.

Silicon carbides have major industrial uses as high temperature structural ceramic materials. These two volumes are translated from the Japanese and provide a comprehensive account of the seminal work going on in Japan.

Cellular ceramics are a specific class of porous materials which includes among others foams, honeycombs, connected fibers, robocast structures and assembled hollow spheres. Because of their particular structure, cellular ceramics display a wide variety of specific properties which make them indispensable for various engineering applications. An increasing number of patents, scientific literature and international conferences devoted to cellular materials testifies to a rapidly growing interest of the technical community in this topic. New applications for cellular ceramics are constantly being put under development. The book, authored by leading experts in this emerging field, gives an overview of the main aspects related to the processing of diverse cellular ceramic structures, methods of structural and properties characterisation and well established industrial, novel and potential applications. It is an introduction to newcomers in this research area and allows students to obtain an in-depth knowledge of basic and practical aspects of this fascinating class of advanced materials.

Metal-Reinforced Ceramics covers the principle of metal-fiber-reinforced ceramics, a well-known topic in the field of reinforced concrete. Much of the work that has been done has remained unpublished, hidden in industrial company archives due to the commercial sensitivity associated with the respective technologies that prevailed at the time, which no longer applies today. This book will discuss advanced technologies that have largely been undocumented before in a broad range of industrial application areas, with updates on alumina, silicon carbide, boron carbide, tungsten carbide, fused silica, and carbon-based ceramics which are hard, heat resistant, wear resistant, and chemically durable. - Provides detailed information on fundamental principles, advanced processing technologies and industrial applications - Features comprehensive industrial knowledge not usually in the public domain from the author's experience spanning more than three decades - Features armor ceramics, bioceramics, aerospace, mining and architectural ceramic applications

This valuable handbook has been compiled by internationally renowned researchers in the field. Each chapter is focused on a specific composite system or a class of composites, presenting a detailed description of processing, properties, and applications.

In this book, we explore an eclectic mix of articles that highlight some new potential applications of SiC and different ways to achieve specific properties. Some articles describe well-established processing methods, while others highlight phase equilibria or machining methods. A resurgence of interest in the structural arena is evident, while new ways to utilize the interesting electromagnetic properties of SiC continue to increase.