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This ISO/TTA proposes a unified classification system for advanced technical ceramics, intended to meet the following objectives.

• It should provide a comprehensive description of materials, products and applications of advanced technical ceramics.
• It should be able to accommodate new materials and products as they become available.
• It should be accessible via the following four descriptor fields, either individually or in combination:
  • Application
  • Chemical character (including form)
  • Processing
  • Property data
• Its coding system should be machine readable, thereby providing a means of sorting data within the descriptor fields.
• Its coding system should be such that it can be simplified by truncation and elimination of redundant characters or, where only limited information is required, by limitation of the number of descriptor fields.
• The coding system should be simple to use and employ characters and strings which are both easy to recognize and relate to classification information.

The term “advanced technical ceramics” covers a wide range of materials (some having complex chemistry) which may be used in diverse applications. For the purposes of this ISO/TTA it is assumed that advanced technical cer-amics include materials in the following forms:

• monolithic ceramics
• powders
• composite ceramics
• fibres
• glasses
• glass ceramics
• coatings
• porous materials

and, in addition to the readily recognized “ceramic” materials, halides and single crystals.

Specifically excluded from the classification system are the following:

• elemental carbon, except for specific ceramic forms such as diamond, vitreous carbon and chemical vapour deposited (CVD) graphite;
• elemental silicon, other than when it forms an integral component of or precursor for an advanced technical ceramic;
• elemental germanium and other elemental or compound semi-metallic substances;
• traditional ceramics based on clay, including
  • whitewares (e.g. tableware and fine porcelain),
  • sanitary wares,
  • floor and wall tiles, and
  • building ceramics (e.g. bricks and pipes);
• unshaped and shaped refractories and bulk glasses for tonnage applications.

The mode af use of the classification system will be determined by the objective behind its use. It is not the purpose of this ISO/TTA to define how the system should be used, but examples are given of how it might be used. It is intended that the user can define the coding combination and the level of detail to suit his particular purpose.