Conclusion
Tribology of Ceramics

Alongside the four classic ceramics, such as Al₂O₃, ZrO₂, SiC or Si₃N₄, other ceramic composites have appeared, such as Si₃N₄-TiN, SiC-TiB₂ or SiC-TiC and SiSiC, but also NbC. These ceramics offer good resistance to seizure and can be tribologically stressed at high temperatures. Their resistance to wear is close to that of hard metals and cermets, which offer better mechanical properties, but at a lower cost and less resistant to corrosion than ceramics. Tribo-oxidation is responsible for the good wear resistance of non-oxide ceramics, through the formation of oxides, hydroxides and/or substoichiometric oxides. Ceramic friction and wear are more or less sensitive to humidity and/or water vapor.