Term paper-ceramics Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

-ceramics - Term Paper Example The input of ceramic materials to automobile technologies ranges over driving performance, fuel efficiency and exhaust gas purification. A number of ceramic parts, such as knock sensors, oxygen sensors, exhaust gas catalysts, and silicon nitride components for automotive engines, have been well utilized to automobiles. Ceramics revolution is not just confined to the automotive industry- producers in aerospace, defense, medical and telecommunication firms are also progressively utilizing ceramic alternatives. The material is fast becoming to be much known for its application in earthenware and pottery and more for the opportunities it creates in the production of goods necessary in our daily lives. This paper will examine the contribution of the ceramics to advances in automotive technologies. It will also try to explore the possible contributions of ceramics in the future such as ceramic gas turbines, adiabatic turbo-compound diesels, electric vehicles and fuel cells due to advances in ceramic technologies. Ceramics is an inert composite containing a metal and a non metal or several non metals. These materials have several properties that identify them. For instance, they are delicate thus easily broken, elastic, quite hard, and need high melting temperatures. They are also electrical, act as thermal insulators and have a high chemical stability. Examples of ceramics include silica (an ingredient used in glass products and contains silicon dioxide), alumina (used in abrasives and contains aluminum oxide) and complex compounds that contain hydrous aluminum silicate used mostly in clay products. Ceramic products are clay in form of bricks, cement used for construction, intractable ceramics that can withstand high temperatures like furnaces used in factories, glass and glass fibers, abrasives, and white ware products. Ceramics are divided in three categories: Traditional ceramics, new ceramics and glass. Ceramics are stronger than metals thus are