Structural Materials

Abstract

After the publication of Solidification and Solid State Transformations of Metals and Alloys (Elsevier, 2017) and Physical Metallurgy of Cast Irons (Springer, 2018), we now present the English version of the book, Structural Materials: Properties and Selection, which was originally written by Professor José Antonio Pero-Sanz Elorz (who died in 2012) and now has been revised and updated with examples, exercises, problems, and case studies by Daniel Fernández González (MSc) and Professor Luis Felipe Verdeja González (Head of the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, University of Oviedo, Asturias, Spain). In this book, we present a multidisciplinary approach to the understanding of metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites, which were previously considered independent fields of study; this broad approach will undoubtedly be welcomed. This book is aimed primarily at undergraduate students but also at anyone interested in the field of materials science and engineering, for whom this textbook will provide an invaluable reference. To achieve the broad approach above referred, it was necessary to rely on the cooperation of physicists, chemists, and engineers; however, the book was written with a primarily engineering focus. The science of the subject matter is tackled from an engineering perspective, which therefore influenced the types of materials considered, i.e., materials that might be classified as structural materials—those that are interesting either because of their bulk properties (stiffness, elasticity, mechanical resistance, density, toughness, behaviour under conditions of fatigue, creep, etc.) or their surface properties (behaviour when subjected to oxidation, corrosion, friction, abrasion, wear, etc.). In professional circles, the study of functional properties (thermal, magnetic, electric, optical, etc.) is still the domain of physicists, chemists, and physicist–chemists. From this viewpoint, it is understood that anyone beginning to investigate the field of materials science and engineering must start with the field that is traditionally known as “physical metallurgy” for two main reasons: • One reason is the type of education and training that engineering candidates receive before reaching university: Generally, the students have achieved a reasonable level in physics and chemistry—both organic and inorganic—which