Materials Processes

This book is designed to give a short introduction to the field of materials pro- cesses for students in the different engineering and physical sciences. It gives an overall treatment of processing and outlines principles and techniques related to the different categories of materials currently employed in technology. It should be used as a first year text and a selection made of the contents to provide a one or two term course. It is not intended to be fully comprehensive but treats major processing topics. In this way, the book has been kept within proportions suitable as an introductory course. The text has been directed to fundamental aspects of processes applied to metals, ceramics, polymers, glassy materials and composites. An effort has been made to cover as broad a range of processes as possible while keeping the treatment differentiated into clearly defined types. For broader treatments, a comprehensive bibliography directs the student to more specialised texts. In presenting this overall view of the field of processes, the text has been brought into line with current teaching in the field of materials. The student of engineering, in this way, may see the challenge and the advances made in applying scientific principles to modem processing techniques. This type of presentation may also be the more exciting one.