Thermal stability and structure of ceramics

General aspects of thermal stability are discussed in terms of synergetics, which treats self-organization processes in nonequilibrium systems. It is shown that, as a result of the "conservatism" (very low deformability) of the structure, dissipation of the input energy can take place only on those structural elements which were produced during the forming process. The stress relaxation in ceramics is due to elastic deformation and brittle failure. Ways for creating dissipative structures are highlighted, and experimentally found techniques of their realization are considered.