Delays in construction projects are frequently expensive, since there is usually a construction loan involved which charges interest, management staff dedicated to the project whose costs are time dependent, and ongoing inflation in wage and material prices. Many techniques are used to analyze delays. Some of these methods have inherent weaknesses and should be avoided. This book points out the shortcomings of these faulty methods and explains how a delay analysis should be performed. It then describes specifically how the analysis is done with CPM schedules. A explanation of delays and delay damages, presented in a straightforward, accessible manner, should be useful to public and private owners, construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors, designers, suppliers, and attorneys whose work involves them in the construction industry. The discussion will include subtleties of the process, such as shifts in the critical path, and non-critical delays. The subject of damages is covered in detail, including the major categories of extended field overhead and unabsorbed home office overhead. Likewise, the damages suffered by the owner, either actual or liquidated, are also explained. Finally, a chapter is devoted to managing the risk of delays and time extensions from the viewpoints of the various parties to a construction project. A discussion of early completion schedules and constructive acceleration is also included.
In this new ediion, all chapters are updated to reflect the changes in the construction field since the first edition published over l6 years ago. The 2nd edition includs over 40% more information such as new methods for analyzing delays with examples of the proper approach. The author also includes a new chapter on risk managment which focuses on the delay-related risks of the various parties in a construction project.
Explains the different categories of delays
Addresses the concept of concurrency and also non-critical delays
Discusses the more common approaches used for measuring and analyzing delays and the strengths and weaknesses associated with them
Prevention of Time-Related Delay Problems

Structural Analysis Rules of Thumb provides a comprehensive review of the classical methods of structural analysis and also the recent advances in computer applications. The prefect guide for the Professional Engineer's exam, Williams covers principles of structural analysis to advanced concepts. Methods of analysis are presented in a concise and direct manner and the different methods of approach to a problem are illustrated by specific examples. In addition, the book include the clear and concise approach to the subject and the focus on the most direct solution to a problem. Numerous worked examples are provided to consolidate the readers? understanding of the topics.
Structural Analysis Rules of Thumb is perfect for anyone who wishes to have handy reference filled with equations, calculations and modeling instructions as well as candidates studying for professional engineering registration examinations. It will also serve as a refresher course and reference manual for practicing engineers. Registered professional engineers and registered structural
Numerous worked examples are provided to consolidate the readers? understanding of the topics
Comprehensive coverage of the whole field of structural analysis
Supplementary problems are given at the end of each chapter with answers provided at the end of the book
Realistic situations encountered in practice and test the reader's ability to apply the concepts presented in the chapter
Classical methods of structural analysis and also the recent advances in computer applications

Railways are an environmentally friendly means of transport well suited to modern society. However, noise and vibration are key obstacles to further development of the railway networks for high-speed intercity traffic, for freight and for suburban metros and light-rail. All too often noise problems are dealt with inefficiently due to lack of understanding of the problem.
This book brings together coverage of the theory of railway noise and vibration with practical applications of noise control technology at source to solve noise and vibration problems from railways. Each source of noise and vibration is described in a systematic way: rolling noise, curve squeal, bridge noise, aerodynamic noise, ground vibration and ground-borne noise, and vehicle interior noise.
Theoretical modelling approaches are introduced for each source in a tutorial fashion
Practical applications of noise control technology are presented using the theoretical models
Extensive examples of application to noise reduction techniques are included
Railway Noise and Vibration is a hard-working reference and will be invaluable to all who have to deal with noise and vibration from railways, whether working in the industry or in consultancy or academic research.
David Thompson is Professor of Railway Noise and Vibration at the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, University of Southampton. He has worked in the field of railway noise since 1980, with British Rail Research in Derby, UK, and TNO Institute of Applied Physics in the Netherlands before moving to Southampton in 1996. He was responsible for developing the TWINS software for predicting rolling noise.
* Discusses fully the theoretical background and practical workings of railway noise
* Includes the latest research findings, brought together in one place
* Forms an extended case study in the application of noise control techniques"

"Load and Global Response of Ships" gives an introductory background to naval architecture statistics and strength of materials. Each subject is treated in detail; starting from the first principle. The aim of this title was to derive and present the necessary theoretical framework for predicting the extreme loads and the corresponding hull girder stresses that a ship may be subjected to during its operational lifetime.
Although some account is given to reliability analysis, the present treatment has to be supplemented with methods for detailed stress evaluation and for structural strength assessment before a complete structural reliability analysis can be carried out.
The classification societies have issued rules and regulations for a proper structural analysis of a ship and selection of the scantlings. Previously, those rules rather explicitly gave formulae for the thickness of the hull plantings, the size of the stiffeners etc. Such empirical rules must necessarily be rather conservative in order to apply to a large variety of ships. With the advent of powerful computers, the rules have changed. Today, the naval architect can perform the structural analysis using mainly rational methods based on first principles. The classification society may then specify proper safety factors against local global failure modes, taking into account the consequences of failure and the analysis procedure used. A cruder method of analysis then necessitates a larger safety factor. Therefore the effort made by the experienced naval architect to perform a detailed structural analysis will be returned not just by a rational structural arrangement but also often in lower weight of the ship and thus a higher payload throughout the operational lifetime of the ship.
This analysis has attempted to make explicit one way in which designers limit the design space by creating rules to which they expect users to adhere. It is also an attempt to encourage designers to reconsider the 'rules of use' that they have used in their designs, so as to reconceptualise potential usage. This can help design behaviour where rule use is not blindly followed.
By making these rules visible, it is possible to expose the limitations of current technology, and development design solutions that do not restrict use to the 'normal' case of action. Rules are useful to designers because they are simplifications of activity. Rules encode the normal case, and these are simplistic representations of work that are, in many cases, accurate enough for the purpose of design. However, encoding behaviour in rules has dangers in that they do not encompass the whole range of behaviours that can be performed. Using examples, this title shows that being able to break rules means that people are able to engage in a richer more flexible set of actions (and therefore more appropriate to contingency) than when they are constrained to a limited range.

Now in its fourth edition, this respected text delivers a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practice of refrigeration. Clear and straightforward, it is designed for students (NVQ/vocational level) and professional HVAC engineers, including those on short or CPD courses. Inexperienced readers are provided with a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of the technology. With its concise style yet broad sweep the book covers most of the applications professionals will encounter, enabling them to understand, specify, commission, use and maintain these systems. Many readers will appreciate the clarity with which the book covers the subject without swamping them with detailed technical or product specific information.
New material in this edition includes the latest developments in refrigerants and lubricants, together with updated information on compressors, heat exchangers, liquid chillers, electronic expansion valves, controls and cold storage. Topics also covered include efficiency, environmental impact, split systems, retail refrigeration (supermarket systems and cold rooms), industrial systems, fans, air infiltration and noise.
Author Information
Guy Hundy studied Mechanical Engineering at Leeds University, UK. He started his career in the refrigeration industry with J & E Hall Ltd, Dartford. In 1985 he joined Copeland Europe and in 1998 he was appointed Director, Application Engineering, Copeland Europe. He has authored and co-authored papers and articles on compressors, applications and refrigerant changeover topics. Guy Hundy is a Chartered Engineer and works as a Technical Consultant. He is past - President of the Institute of Refrigeration.
* Covers principles, methods and application of refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps in a concise volume, without the encumbrance of handbook information found in other volumes
* Ideal for students, and professionals in other disciplines, not too theoretical but with sufficient depth to give an understanding of the issues, this book takes the reader from the fundamentals, through to system design, applications, contract specifications and maintenance
* Full revision by Guy Hundy with new diagrams and illustrations

There are a large and ever-increasing number of structures and buildings worldwide that are in need of refurbishment, rehabilitation and strengthening. The retrofitting of beams and slabs for this purpose is now recognized as the most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable method of carrying out this essential renovation work.
The authors of Design of FRP and Steel Plated RC Structures are both acknowledged world experts on these techniques and their book has been designed to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the established techniques and their applications as well as thorough coverage of newly emerging methodologies and their uses. The comparison of FRP and steel is a particular focus and the authors provide practical examples of where one material might be used in preference to another. Indeed practical, worked examples of how, when, and why specific solutions have been chosen in real-world situations are used throughout the text and provide the user with invaluable insights into the decision-making process and its technical background. Just as importantly these examples make the understanding and application of these techniques easier to understand for the student and the practitioner. The book is international in appeal, as while no reference is made to specific local codes the authors' approach always follows that of the more advanced structural codes worldwide. As such it will remain an essential resource for many years to come.
Design of FRP and Steel Plated RC Structures is an important reference for a broad range of researchers, students and practitioners including civil engineers and contractors, architects, designers and builders.
-Contains detailed worked examples throughout to aid understanding and provide technical insight
- Covers all types of metal plates and all types of FRP plates
- Uses design philosophies that can be used with any mathematical model
- Provides coverage of all main international guidelines

Combustion under sufficiently fuel-lean conditions can have the desirable attributes of high efficiency and low emissions, this being particularly important in light of recent and rapid increases in the cost of fossil fuels and concerns over the links between combustion and global climate change. Lean Combustion is an eminently authoritative, reference work on the latest advances in lean combustion technology and systems. It will offer engineers working on combustion equipment and systems both the fundamentals and the latest developments in more efficient fuel usage and in much-sought-after reductions of undesirable emissions, while still achieving desired power output and performance. This volume brings together research and design of lean combustion systems across the technology spectrum in order to explore the state-of-the-art in lean combustion and its role in meeting current and future demands on combustion systems.
Readers will learn about advances in the understanding of ultra lean fuel mixtures and how new types of burners and approaches to managing heat flow can reduce problems often found with lean combustion such as slow, difficult ignition and frequent flame extinction. The book will also offer abundant references and examples of recent real-world applications.
.Covers all major recent developments in lean combustion science and technology, with new applications in both traditional combustion schemes as well as such novel uses as highly preheated and hydrogen-fueled systems
.Offers techniques for overcoming difficult ignition problems and flame extinction with lean fuel mixtures
.Covers new developments in lean combustion using high levels of pre-heat and heat re-circulating burners, as well as the active control of lean combustion instabilities"

Indispensable for food, chemical, mechanical, and packaging engineers, "Handbook of Farm, Dairy, and Food Machinery" covers in one comprehensive volume fundamental food engineering principles in the design of food industry machinery. The handbook provides broad, yet technically detailed coverage of food safety, regulations, product processing systems, packaging, facilities, waste management, and machinery design topics in a "farm to the fork" organization.

The 22 chapters are contributed by leading experts worldwide with numerous illustrations, tables, and references. The book includes the new USDA regulations for "certified organic" processing, as well as state-of-the-art technologies for equipment both on the farm and in the plant.

The first edition of Sound and Structural Vibration was written in the early 1980s. Since then, two major developments have taken place in the field of vibroacoustics. Powerful computational methods and procedures for the numerical analysis of structural vibration, acoustical fields and acoustical interactions between fluids and structures have been developed and these are now universally employed by researchers, consultants and industrial organisations. Advances in signal processing systems and algorithms, in transducers, and in structural materials and forms of construction, have facilitated the development of practical means of applying active and adaptive control systems to structures for the purposes of reducing or modifying structural vibration and the associated sound radiation and transmission.
In this greatly expanded and extensively revised edition, the authors have retained most of the analytically based material that forms the pedagogical content of the first edition, and have expanded it to present the theoretical foundations of modern numerical analysis. Application of the latter is illustrated by examples that have been chosen to complement the analytical approaches to solving fairly simple problems of sound radiation, transmission and fluid-structural coupling that are presented in the first edition. The number of examples of experimental data that relate to the theoretical content, and illustrate important features of vibroacoustic interaction, has been augmented by the inclusion of a selection from the vast amount of material published during the past twenty five years. The final chapter on the active control of sound and vibration has no precursor in the first edition.
* Covers theoretical approaches to modeling and analysis
* Highly applicable to challenges in industry and academia
* For engineering students to use throughout their career

For a long time, conventional reliability analyses have been oriented towards selecting the more reliable system and preoccupied with maximising the reliability of engineering systems. On the basis of counterexamples however, we demonstrate that selecting the more reliable system does not necessarily mean selecting the system with the smaller losses from failures! As a result, reliability analyses should necessarily be risk-based, linked with the losses from failures.
Accordingly, a theoretical framework and models are presented which form the foundations of the reliability analysis and reliability allocation linked with the losses from failures.
An underlying theme in the book is the basic principle for a risk-based design: the larger the cost of failure associated with a component, the larger its minimum necessary reliability level. Even identical components should be designed to different reliability levels if their failures are associated with different losses.
According to a classical definition, the risk of failure is a product of the probability of failure and the cost given failure. This risk measure however cannot describe the risk of losses exceeding a maximum acceptable limit. Traditionally the losses from failures have been 'accounted for' by the average production availability (the ratio of the actual production capacity and the maximum production capacity). As demonstrated in the book by using a simple counterexample, two systems with the same production availability can be characterised by very different losses from failures.
As an alternative, a new aggregated risk measure based on the cumulative distribution of the potential losses has been introducedand the theoretical framework for risk analysis based on the concept potential losses has also been developed. This new risk measure incorporates the uncertainty associated with the exposure to losses and the uncertainty in the consequences given the exposure. For repairable systems with complex topology, the distribution of the potential losses can be revealed by simulating the behaviour of systems during their life-cycle. For this purpose, fast discrete event-driven simulators are presented capable of tracking the potential losses for systems with complex topology, composed of a large number of components. The simulators are based on new, very efficient algorithms for system reliability analysis of systems comprising thousands of components.
An important theme in the book are the generic principles and techniques for reducing technical risk. These have been classified into three major categories: preventive (reducing the likelihood of failure), protective (reducing the consequences from failure) and dual (reducing both, the likelihood and the consequences from failure). Many of these principles (for example: avoiding clustering of events, deliberately introducing weak links, reducing sensitivity, introducing changes with opposite sign, etc.) are discussed in the reliability literature for the first time.
Significant space has been allocated to component reliability. In the last chapter of the book, several applications are discussed of a powerful equation which constitutes the core of a new theory of locally initiated component failure by flaws whose number is a random variable.
This book has been written with the intention to fill two big gaps in the reliability and riskliterature: the risk-based reliability analysis as a powerful alternative to the traditional reliability analysis and the generic principles for reducing technical risk. I hope that the principles, models and algorithms presented in the book will help to fill these gaps and make the book useful to reliability and risk-analysts, researchers, consultants, students and practising engineers.
- Offers a shift in the existing paradigm for conducting reliability analyses.
- Covers risk-based reliability analysis and generic principles for reducing risk.
- Provides a new measure of risk based on the distribution of the potential losses from failure as well as the basic principles for risk-based design.
- Incorporates fast algorithms for system reliability analysis and discrete-event simulators.
- Includes the probability of failure of a structure with complex shape expressed with a simple equation.

This is a hands-on reference guide for the maintenance or reliability engineer and plant manager. As the third volume in the "Life Cycle Engineering" series, this book takes the guiding principles of Lean Manufacturing and Maintenance and applies these concepts to everyday planning and scheduling tasks allowing engineers to keep their equipment running smoothly, while decreasing downtime. The authors offer invaluable advice on the effective use of work orders and schedules and how they fit into the overall maintenance plan.
There are not many books out there on planning and scheduling, that go beyond the theory and show the engineer, in a hands-on way, how to use planning and scheduling techniques to improve performance, cut costs, and extend the life of their plant machinery.
* The only book that takes a direct look at streamlining planning and scheduling for a Lean Manufacturing Environment
* This book shows the engineer how to create and stick to effective schedules
* Gives examples and templates in the back of the book for use in day-to-day scheduling and calculations

Worm gears are special gears that resemble screws, and can be used to drive other gears. Worm gears, enable two non-touching shafts in a machine to mesh (join) together.
This publication, unique in that it combines both theoretical and practical design aspects, including the latest results of research and development, provides detailed treatment of the theory and production of worm drives, as well as the overarching subject of production geometry of helicoidal surfaces.
Included are mathematical models for a number of practical applications; a description of dressing equipment required; treatment of inspection and measurement; the use of intelligent systems; worm gearing for power transmission; selection criteria.
.Covers theory and practice of the production and use of these common machine elements
.Ideal for researchers and engineers dealing with mechanical drives, gears and manufacturing
.The first single volume text in this diverse field

As with the previous edition, the third edition of Engineering Tribology provides a thorough understanding of friction and wear using technologies such as lubrication and special materials. Tribology is a complex topic with its own terminology and specialized concepts, yet is vitally important throughout all engineering disciplines, including mechanical design, aerodynamics, fluid dynamics and biomedical engineering. This edition includes updated material on the hydrodynamic aspects of tribology as well as new advances in the field of biotribology, with a focus throughout on the engineering applications of tribology.
New to this edition are end-of-chapter problems and an accompanying solutions manual, increasing the book's value as a textbook. The book offers an extensive range if illustrations which communicate the basic concepts of tribology in engineering better than text alone. All chapters include an extensive list of references and citations to facilitate further in-depth research and thorough navigation through particular subjects covered in each chapter.
* Includes newly devised end-of-chapter problems, as well as an accompanying solutions manual.
* Provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms of wear, lubrication and friction in an accessible manner designed to aid non-specialists.
* Gives a reader-friendly approach to the subject using a graphic illustrative method to break down the typically complex problems associated with tribology.

This collection of all of Stan Shiels articles for World Pumps covers specification, operational issues, troubleshooting and the well-known PumpAcademy articles which covered specific topics of importance to pump engineers. The result is a volume which is enjoyable and instructive to read, containing facts and opinions as fresh as the day they were written.
*The late Stan Shiels had over 35 years experience as a professional engineer and over a period of nearly 15 years made a regular contribution to World Pumps magazine.
*This book includes 28 articles which will form a valuable resource to the pump engineer.
*Articles cover many aspects of pump specification, operation and troubleshooting

The second edition of this popular engineering reference book, previously titles Newnes Electrical Engineer's Handbook, provides a basic understanding of the underlying theory and operation of the major classes of electrical equipment.
With coverage including the key principles of electrical engineering and the design and operation of electrical equipment, the book uses clear descriptions and logical presentation of data to explain electrical power and its applications. Each chapter is written by leading professionals and academics, and many sections conclude with a summary of key standards.
The new edition is updated in line with recent advances in EMC, power quality and the structure and operation of power systems, making Newnes Electrical Power Engineer's Handbook an invaluable guide for today's electrical power engineer.
- A unique, concise reference book with contributions from eminent professionals in the field
- Provides straightforward and practical explanations, plus key information needed by engineers on a day-to-day basis
- Includes a summary of key standards at the end of each chapter

Whatever your hydraulic applications, Practical Hydraulic Systems: Operation & Troubleshooting For Engineers & Technicians will help you to increase your knowledge of the fundamentals, improve your maintenance programs and become an excellent troubleshooter of problems in this area.
Cutaways of all major components are included in the book to visually demonstrate the components' construction and operation. Developing an understanding of how it works leads to an understanding of how and why it fails. Multimedia views of the equipment are shown, to give as realistic a view of hydraulic systems as possible. The book is highly practical, comprehensive and interactive. It discusses Hydraulic Systems construction, design applications, operations, maintenance, and management issues and provides you with the most up-to-date information and Best Practice in dealing with the subject.
* A focus on maintenance and troubleshooting makes this book essential reading for practising engineers.
* Written to cover the requirements of mechanical / industrial and civil engineering.
* Cutaway diagrams demonstrate the construction and operation of key equipment.

This volume, from an international authority on the subject, deals with the physical and instrumentation aspects of measurement science, the availability of major measurement tools, and how to use them. This book not only lays out basic concepts of electronic measurement systems, but also provides numerous examples and exercises for the student.
.Ideal for courses on instrumentation, control engineering and physics
.Numerous worked examples and student exercises

The primary purpose of this book is to provide an integrated overview of incompressible flow turbomachines and their design, in this case pumps and turbines. Theory and empirical knowledge of turbomachines are brought together in detail to form a framework for a basic understanding of this complex subject. A step-by-step approach is used by means of solved problems at the end of each chapter to accomplish this.
.Presents a clear overview of incompressible flow turbomachines
.Treats both types of turbomachines in one text
.Includes a large number of illustative solved problems

Since the publication of its first edition in 1999, 'The Hydraulics of Open Channel Flow' has been praised by professionals, academics, students and researchers alike as the most practical modern textbook on open channel flow available. This new edition includes substantial new material on hydraulic modelling, in particular addressing unsteady open channel flows. There are also many new exercises and projects, including a major new revision assignment.
This innovative textbook contains numerous examples and practical applications, and is fully illustrated with both colour and black and white photographs. Dr Chanson introduces the basic principles of open channel flow and takes readers through the key topics of sediment transport, hydraulic modelling and the design of hydraulic structures.
-Comprehensive coverage of the basic principles of key application areas of the hydraulics of open channel flow
-New exercises and examples added to aid understanding
-Ideal for use by students and lecturers in civil and environmental engineering

Pumps are commonly encountered in industry and are essential to the smooth running of many industrial complexes. Mechanical engineers entering industry often have little practical experience of pumps and their problems, and need to build up an understanding of the design, operation and appropriate use of pumps, plus how to diagnose faults and put them right. This book tackles all these aspects in a readable manner, drawing on the authors' long experience of lecturing and writing on centrifugal pumps for industrial audiences.

Single sourcing is more than mechanical document conversion. It is an information development strategy. Although it is often confused with the process of converting paper-based documents into online formats, single sourcing is a writing strategy that enables technical writers to develop centralized information modules, then map them to distinct audiences and media. For technical writers, single sourcing means modular writing and information mapping. Rather than developing information for a given format, such as a user guide or online help, technical writers develop information modules at the element (section, paragraph, and sentence) level. They then map these information modules to preselected audiences and media.This guide explains in plain language and by example how to develop single source documents. It shows technical writers how to develop standalone information modules, then map these modules to a variety of audiences and formats using proven information mapping techniques. In essence, the guide provides a flexible framework for modular technical writing that can be applied to any audience in any medium.

Observers are digital algorithms that combine sensor outputs with knowledge of the system to provide results superior to traditional structures, which rely wholly on sensors. Observers have been used in selected industries for years, but most books explain them with complex mathematics. This book uses intuitive discussion, software experiments, and supporting analysis to explain the advantages and disadvantages of observers. If you are working in controls and want to improve your control systems, observers could be the technology you need and this book will give you a clear, thorough explanation of how they work and how to use them.
Control systems and devices have become the most essential part of nearly all mechanical systems, machines, devices and manufacturing systems throughout the world. Increasingly the efficiency of production, the reliability of output and increased energy savings are a direct result of the quality and deployment of the control system. A modern and essential tool within the engineer's kit is the Observer which helps improve the performance and reduce the cost of these systems.
George Ellis is the author of the highly successful Control System Design Guide (2nd Edition). Unlike most controls books, which are written by control theorists and academics, Ellis is a leading engineer, designer, author and lecturer working in industry directly with the users of industrial motion control systems. Observers in Control Systems is written for all professional engineers and is designed to be utilized without an in-depth background in control theory. This is a "real-world" book which will demonstrate how observers work and how they can improve your control system.It also shows how observers operate when conditions are not ideal and teaches the reader how to quickly tune an observer in a working system.
Software Available on line: A free updated and enhanced version of the author's popular Visual ModelQ allows the reader to practice the concepts with Visual ModelQ models on a PC. Based on a virtual laboratory, all key topics are demonstrated with more than twenty control system models. The models are written in Visual ModelQ, and are available on the Internet to every reader with a PC.
* Teaches observers and Kalman filters from an intuitive perspective
* Explains how to reduce control system susceptibility to noise
* Shows how to design an adaptive controller based on estimating parameter variation using observers
Shows how to improve a control system's ability to reject disturbances
* Key topics are demonstrated with PC-based models of control systems. The models are written in both MatLab(R) and ModelQ; models are available free of charge

Accepted as the standard reference work on modern pneumatic and compressed air engineering, the new edition of this handbook has been completely revised, extended and updated to provide essential up-to-date reference material for engineers, designers, consultants and users of fluid systems.

This eagerly awaited second edition of Heinz Heisler's Advanced Vehicle Technology is a comprehensive and thorough description of vehice bodies and components.
The second edition has been rigorously updated to provide additional material on subjects such as antilock braking, vehicle aerodynamics, tire tread design advances, electronically controlled anti-vibration engine mountings and transport refrigeration. Around 100 new diagrams have been included to complement the text.
Advanced Vehicle Technology 2nd edition's depth of coverage, detailed illustrations and fluent and precise style are the outstanding features in this high quality student text.
More quality artwork has been added to enhance and add value to the explanation given in the text.
16 key topics have been updated to bring this 2nd edition in line with current technology.
Fully international in scope, reflecting the nature of contemporary vehicle engineering.

From Charpy to Present Impact Testing contains 52 peer-reviewed papers selected from those presented at the Charpy Centenary Conference held in Poitiers, France, 2-5 October 2001.

The name of Charpy remains associated with impact testing on notched specimens. At a time when many steam engines exploded, engineers were preoccupied with studying the resistance of steels to impact loading.

The Charpy test has provided invaluable indications on the impact properties of materials. It revealed the brittle ductile transition of ferritic steels.

The Charpy test is able to provide more quantitative results by instrumenting the striker, which allows the evolution of the applied load during the impact to be determined. The Charpy test is of great importance to evaluate the embrittlement of steels by irradiation in nuclear reactors. Progress in computer programming has allowed for a computer model of the test to be developed; a difficult task in view of its dynamic, three dimensional, adiabatic nature. Together with precise observations of the processes of fracture, this opens the possibility of transferring quantitatively the results of Charpy tests to real components. This test has also been extended to materials other than steels, and is also frequently used to test polymeric materials.

Thus the Charpy test is a tool of great importance and is still at the root of a number of investigations; this is the reason why it was felt that the centenary of the Charpy test had to be celebrated. The Societe Francaise de Metallurgie et de Materiaux decided to organise an international conference which was put under the auspices of the European Society for the Integrity of Structures (ESIS).

This Charpy Centenary Conference (CCC 2001) was held in Poitiers, at Futuroscope in October 2001. More than 150 participants from 17 countries took part in the discussions and about one hundred presentations were given. An exhibition of equipment showed, not only present day testing machines, but also one of the first Charpy pendulums, brought all the way from Imperial College in London.

From Charpy to Present Impact Testing puts together a number of significant contributions. They are classified into 6 headings:

Keynote lectures,
Micromechanisms,
Polymers,
Testing procedures,
Applications,
Modelling.

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