10/23/2007 -
Materials Processing Handbook (2007)
by Joanna R. Groza, James F. Shackelford, Enrique J. Lavernia, and Michael T. Powers, editors
ISBN 0-8493-3216-8. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 2007. Hardcover. 844 pages. $149.95.
This handbook provides broad coverage of a number of materials processes associated with a range of materials including metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, and semiconductors. While most handbooks tend to emphasize collection of data or practical engineering aspects of a topic (such as mechanics and design aspects of process development), the editors and authors of individual chapters in this handbook present the fundamentals of a particular materials process with an emphasis on the process-structure-property relationship. Principles of thermodynamics, phase transformations, mechanisms, and kinetics of mass and energy transport are discussed as appropriate. The scale of the materials structures and associated processing spans from the nanometer level to macroscopic.
The book is divided into six sections for a total of thirty-one chapters. The sections represent the type of materials change—phase, structure, or shape. Each chapter within a section describes the principles, processing techniques, and means for controlling microstructural evolution to achieve the final desired properties and performance.
The first section, Small Scale Processes, addresses process events that occur at atomic or nanoscale dimensions. Here, the chapter on carbon nanotube structures represents what the editors call contemporary technological innovation. The authors, Vajtai and Ajayan, discuss carbon nanotube growth, concentrating on chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and more narrowly on experiments where the catalyst is fed via vapor during the process. The highlight of the chapter is the discussion on potential applications of nanotubes to high-efficiency filters, nano-sized brushes and springs, and enhanced properties of different composite materials that consist of nanotubes. The second section deals with deposition processes such as physical and chemical vapor deposition, epitaxial processes, ion beam assisted deposition, and spray deposition. The third section focuses on processes that involve dislocations and plastic deformation including metalworking, mechanical alloying, and superplastic forming. The fourth section is devoted to phase transitions, shape and chemistry changes that modify the microstructure and hence the properties of the material. Rapid solidification, single crystal growth, diffusion-based processes, casting and solidification, basic phase transformations in heat treatment, and transformation toughening are covered in this section. The fifth section covers processes that occur at the macroscopic level. Here glass and ceramic processing, powder processing, and layer-based additive manufacturing techniques are discussed. Additive manufacturing involves the manufacture of complex-shaped parts layer-by-layer directly from a computer-aided design model of an object. The introduction of additive manufacturing technologies has revolutionized product design, development, and manufacturing. The fundamental advantage of these technologies lies in their ability to rapidly produce complex-shaped parts without special tools, molds, or dies, in materials ranging from polymers to metals to ceramics. Finally, the sixth section, Multiscale Processes, considers the basics of process integration, that is, combination of any of the above processes occurring over a range of length scales. Thermo-mechanical processing and processing nanoscale structures to macro composites are classic examples of such processes.
The editors have succeeded in achieving their goal of a wide-ranging "one-stop" reference in materials processing for a variety of advanced engineering materials. They have brought together world-class experts in materials processing to convey the principles and applications of not only conventional engineering materials, but also new and novel materials as well. The publication is of high quality and the technical content will be of interest to engineers, scientists, and students.
For more on Materials Processing Handbook, visit the CRC Press web site.
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