Extensive development of advanced ceramics during the past 30 years has resulted in major improvements in strength, fracture toughness, and high-temperature stability. Aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and transformation-toughened ceramics all have become well established in a wide range of industrial applications. Coatings have continued to grow in importance, and ceramic matrix composites are just beginning to enter field testing. In parallel to the materials improvements,
advances in analysis and design methods have helped advanced ceramics to fit into applications previously thought too challenging for ceramics. The risk of catastrophic brittle failure of ceramics has now been reduced to a manageable level, so that engineers can take advantage of the favorable corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and high-temperature stability. Keywords: monolithic ceramics, ceramic matrix composites, corrosion resistance, erosion resistance, temperature resistance.