Excerpt
This 5th edition resulted from input from students, faculty and specialists in the field. As result of the valuable feedback those of you who used earlier editions will note considerable format changes; namely breaking larger modules into smaller modules and grouped them into units. We know the book is used in a variety of courses, and hope the redesign improves flexibility.
This edition continues to cover basic concepts in materials science, engineering and technology dealing with traditional as well as advanced materials. We added coverage to surface science and engineering to reflect new technologies resulting from microtechnology, improved characterization and analysis instruments and the need for improved quality and reliability. By beginning with the Materials Cycle for Life Cycle Analysis readers gain a perspective on the connectivity of the many topics that comprise materials science and engineering.
New technologies like nanotechnology and morphing materials have been creeping into popular culture as seen in movies like Spiderman and Terminator. This edition includes introductory concepts on nanotechnology, morphing and smart materials since they have become areas of considerable research with some applications already showing up in consumer products. Materials are so pervasive that they impact any new technology ranging from fuel cell vehicles to computer technology, and become central to current events like the collapse of the World Trade Center and the tragedy of NASA's Shuttle Columbia's. This perspective is seen with Alex King's definition in the MRS Bulletin: "Materials science and engineering forms the exclusive knowledge pathway through which fundamental discoveries are turned into useful products". The book uses news events, case studies along with end of-module assessment to promote comprehension and retention. EMT WEBLINKs also facilitate links to websites for current developments, further explanations and illustrations.
A major challenge in writing a revision centers on adding appropriate new information and retaining key content while keeping the book length reasonable. We moved some assessment items to the Instructor's Manual, and provided Weblinks for sources of the latest data on material properties, applications and comparisons.
Our first edition was written for students in engineering and industrial technology programs. Since then we have learned that many other people found our text refreshing and useful to them, including professors, secondary school teachers, and industrial trainers with the responsibility to teach materials science and technology subjects.
We continually encourage readers to become "materials observers" and point out the relevance of this important subject as seen in everyday products and systems. Another effective teaching tool for learning, in evidence since the original text, is the use of integrated common themes: 1) relationships among structure, properties, processing, and applications of materials, 2) the importance of consideration of the total Materials Cycle in material synthesis, selection, processing, and economics, 3) the need for "green" design and manufacturing for a sustainable environment and manufacturing of systems and products, 4) new and/or improved technologies that influence many aspects of engineering materials technology such as micro/nanotechnology, recycling, surface engineering, smart materials, intelligent structures, and biomimetics, 5) encouragement for the reader to explore the many resources and databases outside this book including the use of the Internet, and 6) the role of standard practices in all aspects of design, testing, processing, manufacturing, selection, and applications of materials.
To present the fundamentals of materials science on a level appropriate to learners who have not completed formal courses in chemistry, physics or mathematics beyond the uses of algebra is uppermost in our mind. As a consequence the terminology is defined while using a maximum of graphics, such as equations, graphs, tables, and micrographs. Illustrative problems requiring calculations are numerous whenever a law or principle can be expressed as an equation. Emphasis is consistently placed on the proper use of units in solving equations using both the English and International System (SI) of units. Substitution of units as well as numbers in equations is stressed as being essential for arriving at a correct answer. Problems in materials science, in general, require a degree of creative analysis of concepts coupled with research into databases in order to solve them.