This is a concise, up-to-date book that covers a wide range of important ceramic materials used in modern technology. Chapters provide essential information on the nature of these key ceramic raw materials including their structure, properties, processing methods and applications in engineering and technology. Treatment is provided on materials such as Alumina - Aluminates - Andalusite, Kyanite, and Sillimanite - Clays - Concrete and Cement - Lead Compounds - Mullite - Quarts and Silicas - Zirconia. The chapter authors are leading experts in the field of ceramic materials.

James F. Shackelford has BS and MS degrees in Ceramic Engineering from the University of Washington and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.  He is currently a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of California, Davis.  For many years, he served as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Engineering and currently serves as the Director of the Integrated Studies Honors Program, an invitational, residential program for first-year students from a wide spectrum of majors.  He also serves as an Associate Director for Education for the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology (CBST). He teaches and conducts research in the areas of materials science, the structure of materials, nondestructive testing, and biomaterials.  A member of the American Ceramic Society and ASM International, he was named Fellow of the American Ceramic Society in 1992 and received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Academic Senate of the University of California, Davis.  He has published over 100 archived papers and books including Introduction to Materials Science for Engineers now in its 6th Edition and the CRC Materials Science and Engineering Handbook now in its 3rd Edition.  TheIntroduction to Materials Science for Engineers has now been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Spanish.