The papers in this volume cover a broad spectrum of topics that represent the truly diverse nature of the field of composite materials. In recent years, composite materials have grown in strength, stature, and significance to become a key material of enhanced scientific interest and resultant research into understanding their behavior for selection and safe use in a wide spectrum of technology-related applications. This collection presents research and findings relevant to the latest advances in composites materials, specifically their use in aerospace, maritime, and even land applications. The editors have made every effort to bring together authors who put forth recent advances in their research while concurrently both elaborating on and thereby enhancing our prevailing understanding of the salient aspects related to the science, engineering, and far-reaching technological applications of composite materials.

A unique combination of the basic science and fundamental aspects of joints and interfaces with the engineering aspects of the subject. Contributors include researchers drawn from several Eastern European countries. Topics addressed include processing, interfacial reactions, graded joints, residual stress measurement and analysis, and failure and deformation. Audience: Academic and industrial researchers and ceramic manufacturers interested in understanding the current state of the art in joining.

This volume provides a one-stop resource, compiling current research on ceramic armor and addressing the challenges facing armor manufacturers. It is a collection of papers from The American Ceramic Society s 32nd International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, January 27-February 1, 2008. Topics include novel materials concepts for both vehicle and body armors, transparent ceramics for impact resistance, and more. This is a valuable, up-to-date resource for researchers in industry, government, or academia who are working with ceramic armor.

These Proceedings of a NATO-ARW (HTECH ARW 97 1843) held at the Oreanda Hotel, Yalta, Ukraine from April 29 till May 2, 1998 resulted from many discussions between various workers, concerning the need for a gathering of all (if possible) who were concerned with the subject of symmetry of the order parameter and pairing states for superconductivity. We applied ourselves in particular to High critical Temperature Superconductors (HTS), but also studied other unconventional superconductors. The study of HTS is one of the most prominent research subjects in solid state sciences. The understanding of the role of symmetry and pairing conditions are also thought to be necessary before technological applications since these features may be influenced by external fields. The workshop discussions have touched upon theoretical and experimental aspects, but also on related topics. These served as initiators for a very great amount of discussions with many comments from the audience. More than thirty "long lectures" and one on going "poster session" were held. Private discussions went unrecorded but obviously took place at many locations: lecture halls, staircases, cafes, bedrooms, bars, beach, bus, plane... Arguments openly reported for the first time were often quite sharp ones, -and this is an understatement."

This book presents the latest and complete information about various types of piezosensors. A sensor is a converter of the measured physical size to an electric signal. Piezoelectric transducers and sensors are based on piezoelectric effects. They have proven to be versatile tools for the measurement of various processes. They are used for quality assurance, process control and for research and development in many different industries. In each area of application specific requirements to the parameters of transducers and sensors are developed. The book presents the fundamentals, technical design and details and practical applications. Methods to design piezosensors are described, allowing to create sensors with unique properties. New methods to measure physical sizes and new constructions of sensors including large area of piezosensors are described in this book. This book is written for specialists in transforming hydroacoustics, non-destructive control, measuring technique, sensors development for automatic control and also for graduate students.

This book provides an overview of the current state of the art in novel piezo-composites based on ferroelectrics. Covering aspects ranging from theoretical materials simulation and manufacturing and characterization methods, to the application and performance of these materials, it focuses on the optimization of the material parameters. Presenting the latest findings on modern composites and highlighting the applications of piezoelectric materials for sensors, transducers and hydro-acoustics, the book addresses an important gap in the physics of active dielectrics and materials science and describes new trends in the research on ferroelectric composites.

Significant progress has been made in recent years in developing silicon nitride ceramics. The advances that have been achieved are mainly based on an increasing understanding of processing and microstructure-properties relationships. New analytical methods and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) coupled with extensive phase equilibria studies have provided new insights into the grain boundary region and offer the possibility to tailor the microstructure for specific applications. Because of the anticipated break-through in industrial applications there are still considerablt; research activities at industrial laboratories as well as other research centres. This volume presents the contributions to the international workshop "Tailoring ofHigh- Temperature Properties of Si3N4-Ceramics" with 60 participants from 12 countries held on 6th - 9th October 1993 at SchloB Ringberg in Germany, the conference site of the Max- Planck-Society. Additionally, it contains all invited papers of the International Conference "Silicon Nitride 93" held before the workshop on 4th - 6th October 1993 in Stuttgart/Germany. The book covers all recent research activities on silicon nitride ceramics and gives an overview with respect to recent developments.

Sintering process studies have re-emerged strongly in the past decade due to extensive discussions about the stabilization of nanoparticles and nanostructures, and the development of controlled nanograined bulk materials. This book presents the state-of-art in experiments and theory of novel sintering processes, traditional sintering and grain growth. The scope ranges from powder metallurgy to ceramic and composites processing. The challenges of conventional and novel sintering and grain growth in nanopowders and nanostructures are addressed, being useful for students as well as professionals interested in sintering at the nanoscale.

All living things contain carbon in some form, as it is the primary component of macromolecules including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), and carbohydrates. As a matter of fact, it is the backbone of all organic (chemistry) compounds forming different kinds of bonds. Carbon: The Black, the Gray and the Transparent is not a complete scientific history of the material, but a book that describes key discoveries about this old faithful element while encouraging broader perspectives and approaches to its research due to its vast applications. All allotropes of carbon are described in this book, along with their properties, uses, and methods of procurement or manufacturing. Black carbon is represented by coal, gray carbon is represented by graphite, and transparent carbon is represented by diamond.

Continuing developments in glass science and technology have necessitated the revision of this successful work, which provides up-to-date coverage of the chemistry of glasses. A thorough treatment of the molecular structure and chemistry of the glassy state is presented in order that the relationsip between properties and function in glasses may be appreciated. For the new edition, two new chapters have been added; one dealing with the chemistry of glass batch reactions and the other with the sol-gel method of glass making. A further new section has been included on the strength of glasses. The formation and transformations of glasses are discussed, followed by chapters on physical properties, chemical durability, redox reactions and acid-base concepts. The author then shows how colour originates in glasses and finally considers the polymeric nature of glass-forming melts. This text should be useful as both a text and reference to all those studying glass whether as chemists, materials scientists, or glass scientists and technologists. This book should be of interest to senior undergraduates/graduates and professionals in materials science, glass technology and ceramics.

Diamond has a unique combination of properties, such as the highest hardness and thermal conductivity among any known material, high electrical resistivity, a large optical band gap and a high transmission, good resistance to chemical erosion, low adhesion and friction, and extremely low thermal expansion coefficient. As such, diamond has been a desirable material in a wide range of applications in mechanical, chemical, optical, thermal and electrical engineering. In many of the cases, the surface of a diamond component or element must have a superior finish, often down to a surface roughness of nanometers. Nevertheless, due to its extreme hardness and chemical inertness, the polishing of diamond and its composites has been a sophisticated process.

"Polishing of Diamond Materials" will provide a state-of-the-art analysis, both theoretically and experimentally, of the most commonly used polishing techniques for mono/poly-crystalline diamond and chemical vapour deposition (CVD) diamond films, including mechanical, chemo-mechanical, thermo-chemical, high energy beam, dynamic friction and other polishing techniques. The in-depth discussions will be on the polishing mechanisms, possible modelling, material removal rate and the quality control of these techniques. A comparison of their advantages and drawbacks will be carried out to provide the reader with a useful guideline for the selection and implementation of these polishing techniques.

"Polishing of Diamond Materials" will be of interest to researchers and engineers in hard materials and precision manufacturing, industry diamond suppliers, diamond jewellery suppliers and postgraduate students in the area of precision manufacturing.

The Engineering Materials and Processes series focuses on all forms of materials and the processes used to synthesise and formulate them as they relate to the various engineering disciplines. The series deals with a diverse range of materials: ceramics; metals (ferrous and non-ferrous); semiconductors; composites, polymers, biomimetics "etc." Each monograph in the series is written by a specialist and demonstrates how enhancements in materials and the processes associated with them can improve performance in the field of engineering in which they are used.

This thesis offers novel insights into the time-dependent structural evolution of polymers under deformation. In-situ tensile experiments at high-brilliance synchrotron sources allowed to characterize the material with unrivaled resolution in time and space. The strain-induced crystallization in natural rubber was studied by wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Special emphasis was put on the establishment of new structure-property relationships to give a more in-depth understanding of the mechanical performance of rubber parts, e.g. in tear fatigue loading. To this end, the kinetics of strain-induced crystallization were investigated, subjecting the material to high strain rates. The local structure around a crack tip was observed by scanning wide-angle X-ray diffraction. Ultra-small angle X-ray scattering served to study filled elastomers under deformation, from specially prepared model filler systems to industrially relevant carbon black filled rubbers. Other methods include electron microscopy coupled with in-situ tensile testing and optical dilatometry to examine cavitation in rubbers.The underlying theory as well as a literature review are covered by an extensive introductory chapter, followed by a description of the experimental techniques. The results are presented in more detail than in the original journal publications.

Exploring advanced ceramic coatings and ultra-high temperature ceramic materials, this issue brings readers up-to-date with important new and emerging findings, materials, and applications. The nineteen papers in this issue originate from two symposia and one focused session held in January 2012, during the 36th International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites (ICACC). With contributions from leading ceramics and materials researchers from around the world, this issue explores the latest advances and key challenges in advanced thermal and environmental coating processing and characterizations, advanced wear corrosion-resistant, nanocomposite, and multi-functional coatings, thermal protection systems, and more.

This book focuses on the vibration behavior of ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs), including (1) vibration natural frequency of intact and damaged CMCs; (2) vibration damping of CMCs considering fibers debonding and fracture; (3) temperature-dependent vibration damping of CMCs; (4) time-dependent vibration damping of CMCs; and (5) cyclic-dependent vibration damping of CMCs. Ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) possess low material density (i.e., only 1/4 or 1/3 of high-temperature alloy) and high-temperature resistance, which can reduce cooling air and improve structure efficiency. Understanding the failure mechanisms and internal damage evolution represents an important step to ensure reliability and safety of CMCs. Relationships between microstructure, damage mechanisms, vibration natural frequency, and vibration damping of CMCs are established. This book helps the material scientists and engineering designers to understand and master the vibration behavior of CMCs at room and elevated temperatures.

This book covers diverse types of ceramic membranes applied in separation processes. The authors present the preparation methods and well as the main application of ceramic membranes. Modules, microfiltration and ultrafiltration are topics described within the text. The final chapter focuses on water and wastewater treatment by membranes separation processes.

This book summarizes many of the recent research accomplishments in the area of polyvinylchloride (PVC)-based blends and their preparation, characterization and applications. Various sub-topics are addressed, such as the state-of-the-art of PVC based blends, new challenges and opportunities, emphasis being given to the types and sizes of components/fillers and optimum compositions of PVC blends, their processing and structure-properties relationships, modification/compatibilization methods, and possible applications. PVC/thermoplastic based nano, micro and macro blends, PVC membranes, bio-based plasticizers and PVC blends with components from renewable resources are reported. The various chapters in this book are contributed by prominent researchers from industry, academia and government/private research laboratories across the globe. It covers an up-to-date record on the major findings and observations in the field of PVC-based blends.

This book, originally published in 1979, was derived from courses offered at the Friedrich-Schiller University in Jena, Germany. The American Ceramic Society republished this text in 1985, adding more than 100 new figures and references to demonstrate recent advances in glass technology. This text represents a comprehensive presentation of the entire field of glass chemistry, especially emphasizing contributions from German pioneers Otto Schott and Ernst Abbe.

This book provides a simple and unified approach to the mechanics of discontinuous-fibre reinforced composites, and introduces readers as generally as possible to the key concepts regarding the mechanics of elastic stress transfer, intermediate modes of stress transfer, plastic stress transfer, fibre pull-out, fibre fragmentation and matrix rupture. These concepts are subsequently applied to progressive stages of the loading process, through to the composite fractures. The book offers a valuable guide for advanced undergraduate and graduate students attending lecture courses on fibre composites. It is also intended for beginning researchers who wish to develop deeper insights into how discontinuous fibre provides reinforcement to composites, and for engineers, particularly those who wish to apply the concepts presented here to design and develop discontinuous-fibre reinforced composites.

Isobel Armstrong's startlingly original and beautifully illustrated book tells the stories that spring from the mass-production of glass in nineteenth-century England. Moving across technology, industry, local history, architecture, literature, print culture, the visual arts, optics, and philosophy, it will transform our understanding of the Victorian period.
The mass production of glass in the nineteenth century transformed an ancient material into a modern one, at the same time transforming the environment and the nineteenth-century imagination. It created a new glass culture hitherto inconceivable. Glass culture constituted Victorian modernity. It was made from infinite variations of the prefabricated glass panel, and the lens. The mirror and the window became its formative elements, both the texts and constituents of glass culture. The glassworlds of the century are heterogeneous. They manifest themselves in the technologies of the factory furnace, in the myths of Cinderella and her glass slipper circulated in print media, in the ideologies of the conservatory as building type, in the fantasia of the shopfront, in the production of chandeliers, in the Crystal Palace, and the lens-made images of the magic lantern and microscope. But they were nevertheless governed by two inescapable conditions.
First, to look through glass was to look through the residues of the breath of an unknown artisan, because glass was mass produced by incorporating glassblowing into the division of labour. Second, literally a new medium, glass brought the ambiguity of transparency and the problems of mediation into the everyday. It intervened between seer and seen, incorporating a modernphilosophical problem into bodily experience. Thus for poets and novelists glass took on material and ontological, political, and aesthetic meanings.
Reading glass forwards into Bauhaus modernism, Walter Benjamin overlooked an early phase of glass culture where the languages of glass are different. The book charts this phase in three parts. Factory archives, trade union records, and periodicals document the individual manufacturers and artisans who founded glass culture, the industrial tourists who described it, and the systematic politics of window-breaking. Part Two, culminating in glass under glass at the Crystal Palace, reads the glassing of the environment, including the mirror, the window, and controversy round the conservatory, and their inscription in poems and novels. Part Three explores the lens, from optical toys to 'philosophical' instruments as the telescope and microscope were known.
A meditation on its history and phenomenology, Victorian Glassworlds is a poetics of glass for nineteenth-century modernity.

The text explores the development, use, and effect of additive manufacturing and digital manufacturing technologies for diverse applications. It will serve as an ideal reference text for graduate students and academic researchers in diverse engineering fields including industrial, manufacturing, and materials science. This book: Discusses the application of 3D virtual models to lasers, electron beams, and computer-controlled additive manufacturing machines Covers applications of additive manufacturing in diverse areas including healthcare, electronics engineering, and production engineering Explains the use of additive manufacturing for biocomposites and functionally graded materials Highlights rapid manufacturing of metallic components using 3D printing Illustrates production and optimization of dental crowns using additive manufacturing This book covers recent developments in manufacturing technology, such as additive manufacturing, 3D printing, rapid prototyping, production process operations, and manufacturing sustainability. The text further emphasizes the use of additive manufacturing for biocomposites and functionally graded materials. It will serve as an ideal reference text for graduate students and academic researchers in the fields of industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, automotive engineering, aerospace engineering, and materials science.

This volume provides a one-stop resource, compiling current research on ceramic coatings and interfaces. It is a collection of papers from The American Ceramic Society s 32nd International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, January 27-February 1, 2008. Papers include developments and advances in ceramic coatings for structural, environmental, and functional applications. Articles are logically organized to provide insight into various aspects of ceramic coatings and interfaces. This is a valuable, up-to-date resource for researchers in industry, government, or academia who work in ceramics engineering.

This volume provides a one-stop resource, compiling current research on bioceramics and porous ceramics. It is a collection of papers from The American Ceramic Society s 32nd International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, January 27-February 1, 2008. It includes papers from two symposia: "Porous Ceramics: Novel Developments and Applications" and "Next Generation Bioceramics." Articles are logically organized to provide insight into various aspects of bioceramics and porous ceramics. This is a valuable, up-to-date resource for researchers working in ceramics engineering.

This volume provides a one-stop resource, compiling current research on the behavior and reliability of ceramic macro and micro scale systems. It is a collection of papers from The American Ceramic Society s 32nd International Conference on Advanced Ceramics and Composites, January 27-February 1, 2008. Topics include Design and Testing Challenges for Ceramic Joints; Structural Design, Testing and Life Prediction of Monolithic and Composite Components; Mechanical Behavior, Design, and Reliability of Small Scale Systems; Environmental Effects on Mechanical Properties; and more. This is a valuable reference for researchers in ceramics engineering.