工程陶瓷材料可分为结构陶瓷和功能陶瓷两大类，前者主要利用陶瓷机械性能。材料的力学性能主要研究材料在外力作用下发生弹性或塑性形变、材料抵抗形变的能力和材料失效或被 破坏的规律。陶瓷材料多以离子键、共价键，或者两者的混合键结合。
从结构的特点来说, 这类晶体的刚性强，材料总体上硬度高、耐磨损、耐高温和耐腐蚀，但是脆性大，塑性差，不易进行加工，抗热震性也较差，强度分散。对这类材料施载时，内部或表面的裂纹容易扩展并将引起应力集中，使材料发生突然的灾难性断裂。
强度是材料抵抗变形和破坏的能力。根据加载形式的不同，材料内部的应力可归纳为三类：拉伸正应力，压缩正应力和剪切应力。在这些应力作用下，材料破坏的强度分为拉伸强度、压缩强度和剪切强度。另外，根据外加载荷特征分为弯曲强度，扭曲强度，冲击强度和疲劳强度。（图/文www.yxwdcy.com）
中译英：
Engineering ceramic materials can be divided into structural and functional ceramics two categories, the former mainly using ceramic mechanical properties. Mechanical properties of materials research materials under external force of elastic or plastic deformation, material to resist deformation capacity and material failure or destruction of. Ceramic material with ionic bond, covalent bond, or a mixture of both bond.

From the structural characteristics, this kind of crystal material on the whole rigidity, high hardness, wear resistance, high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, but the brittleness, ductility, easy processing, thermal shock resistance is poor, intensity distribution. On this kind of material loading, inside or on the surface of the crack propagation easier and will cause stress concentration, so that a sudden catastrophic fracture of materials.