Abstract: It is well-known that the frictional and wear properties actually govern the cutting ability of a tool material. But these properties of ceramics, as a new kind of non-metallic tool material, have not yet been thoroughly studied.In this report, a research on the frictional and wear properties of the Chinese made ceramics during turning operation is described. Following the "analogous method", established by professor r. N. rpauoacaaH, we use a ceramic test bar, instead of the usual turning tool, to perform the experiments. Simultaneously, a Soviet made cemented carbide TISK6 test bar is used to perform the same experiments under the same conditions. Then, the results obtained in the two cases are well compared with each other. The research indicates that the coefficient of friction μ between ceramics and steel (medium carbon steel No.45 is used to perform all the experiments) is larger than that between carbide and steel when the sliding speed v is lower than 250m/min, but the values of μ in the two cases become vice versa when the sliding speed v is higher than 250m/min (fig.5). The authors believe, this is probably due to the more intensive heat influence of ceramics upon the steel surface during higher sliding speed, so that the plasticity of the steel surface is increased and the frictional resistance is decreased. The coefficient μ between ceramics and steel is larger than that between carbide and steel when the contact pressure P is low, but such difference in the two cases deminishes away when the contact pressure P is high (fig.8). Along the same length of sliding path L, the accumulative wear w of ceramics is quite larger than that of carbide when the sliding speed v is low, but such difference becomes vice versa when the sliding speed v is high (fig 4). It is believed that the ceramics is worse than the carbide as to withstand the chatter vibration generated during low sliding. speed. But the former is better than the latter as to withstand the high temperature generated during high sliding speed. The accumulative wear w of either ceramics or carbide decreases as the contact pressure P decreases, although the wear of the former is quite larger than that of the latter (fig.7). But when the contact pressure P is sufficient low to generate a chatter vibration, the accumulative wear of the ceramics rapidly increases again, while that of the carbide continuously decreases (fig.7, left). The result of strain hardening test on steel surface indicates that either the depth of hardening or the surface microhardness produced by ceramics is larger than that produced by carbide (fig. 9 and 6), except that produced when sliding speed is sufficient high for the ceramics to induce a significant heat influence and "softening effect" (fig.6, right).