Ceramics in the Mining Industry The mining industry is a high-wear industry. Rock is continually being crushed, ground, conveyed, leached, and screened in an effort to separate the metals or other material of value from the waste rock. All of these operations are either abrasive or corrosive. Ceramics would be great for their wear resistance and corrosion resistance, but often they can't be used because they can't withstand the impact from big chunks of rock or can't be fabricated into the enormous pieces of equipment needed