Ceramics are hard, non-metallic materials made by firing clay at high temperatures. They have various properties including high compressive strength, electrical insulation, and resistance to corrosion. Ceramics have been used for over 24,000 years and can be found across cultures from ancient Egypt to Native American tribes. Common ceramics include pottery, tiles, and porcelain bathroom fixtures. Clay is shaped using methods like wheel throwing, slip casting, or hand building before being fired in a kiln.

1. CERAMICS
Presented By
Sheema
Kulsum

2. What is Ceramics?
• The word ceramics is derived
from the Greek word keramos
which means ‘potter’s clay’.
• Material that is neither metallic
nor organic.
• Typically hard and chemically
non-reactive.
• Pottery or clay sculpture fired
at high temperatures in a kiln to
make them harder and stronger.
• Crystalline, glassy or both..

4. Properties of Ceramics
• Low to medium thermal
conductivity
• Good electrical insulation
• Low to medium tensile
strength
• High compressive
strength
• Medium machinability
• Opacity
• Brittleness
• Poor impact strength
• Low thermal shock
resistance
•High hardness
•High elastic modulus
•Low ductility
•High dimensional stability
•Good wear resistance
•High resistance to
corrosion and chemical
attack
•High weather resistance
•High melting point
•High working temperature
•Low thermal expansion
•High working temperature
•Low thermal expansion

5. Ceramics Around the World
Ceramics have been used, throughout the world, for tens of thousands of years.
Archeologists have uncovered human-made ceramics in the form of animal and human figurines
that date back to at least 24,000 BC.

6. Examples of African and
Middle Eastern Ceramics
Saudi
Arabia
Democratic Republic
of Congo
Iran
Egypt
1800 BC

7. Examples of Asian Ceramics
Korea
China – Ming Dynasty
1300 AD
Terra Cotta Warriors
210 BC

8. Examples of North and
South American Ceramics
Peru (Incan)
400 AD
United States
(Native American
Pueblo)

9. Examples of European
Ceramics
Greece
Netherlands
(Delftware)

10. Examples of Contemporary
Ceramics

11. Examples of Contemporary
Ceramics

12. BASIC Materials
• Kiln: a specially designed oven capable of
reaching temperatures over 2000° F (can be
electric, gas, or wood-fired)
• Clay: moist, sticky dirt (mud) composed of
fine-grained minerals, which can be shaped
when wet and hardened when dried or heated
• Tools: mainly used to shape clay

13. Common Types of Clay
• Earthenware: clay fired at relatively
low temperatures (1800°F-2100°F),
often contains iron and has a porous
surface when fired
• Stoneware: a buff, gray or brown
clay which is heavy, opaque, and highly
plastic in nature with a high firing
temperature (2200°F-2400°F)
• Porcelain: a very fine white clay with
a high firing temperature (2200°F-
2550°F), is non-porous, strong, and
translucent when fired

14. Tools, Tools, Tools….
modeling tools
hands
wire clay cutter
loop tools
ribs
sponge

15. Applications of ceramics
• They are used in space industry because
of their low weight
• They are used as cutting tools
• They are used as refractory materials
• They are used as thermal insulator
• They are used as electrical insulator

16. Clay Shaping Methods
• Wheel Throwing
• Slip Casting
• Hand Building

17. Wheel Throwing

18. Wheel Thrown Pottery

19. Slip Casting
Slip: a liquid mixture of clay and water

20. Slip Cast Ceramics

21. Hand Building
• Pinch Pot
• Slab Construction
• Coil Construction

25. Decorating Methods
• Glaze: a glass
coating that is
especially made
to stick onto
ceramic surfaces
• Underglaze:
colored slips
applied beneath a
glaze layer
• Stain: raw pigments, can be
water or acrylic based
• Burnishing: rearranging and
compressing clay particles by
rubbing the surface of a clay
object until it becomes
glossy