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Mechanics of microstructured materials
BOOKS & MEDIA UPDATE Mechanics of Microstructured Materials
Comprehensive joinery
Helmut J. Böhm (ed.)
Robert W. Messler, Jr. has created a comprehensive review that tells you all you ever wanted to know about the joining of materials and perhaps a little bit more, says Alan W. Pense.
Springer (2004), 306 pp. ISBN: 3-211-24154-X $99 / £56 / 72.50
Work on microstructured materials has aimed to obtain microstructureproperty correlations and to study damage and failure behavior. This book deals with thermomechanical behavior. It gives an overview of analytical and numerical modeling approaches in continuum micromechanics, and is aimed at researchers working on materials such as composites, metals, and ceramics.
Computational Mechanics of Composite Materials M. M. Kaminski Springer (2005), 418 pp. ISBN: 1-85233-427-4 $139 / £80 / 119.95
Computational mechanics has become necessary to provide precise numerical models of the stochastic behavior of composite materials. This book stresses the advantages of combining theoretical advances in applied mathematics and mechanics with the probabilistic approach to experimental data. It will be of interest to civil, mechanical, electronic, and aerospace engineers, as well as materials scientists.
Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers Vadapalli Chandrasekhar Springer (2005), 338 pp. ISBN: 3-540-22574-9 $59.95 / £33.50 / 49.95
This textbook aims to explain the basic principles that constitute the field of nonconventional polymers containing inorganic and organometallic units as the repeating units. The principles involved in their preparation, characterization, and applications are discussed, as is the basic inorganic chemistry required for understanding each topic. Expert Graduate Undergraduate
While there are many textbooks and handbooks on the topic of joining, I know of no other that takes such a comprehensive view of the multitudinous ways in which materials can be nailed, bolted, glued, welded, soldered, cemented, snapped, and sewn together. From tying stones to forked sticks to the self-assembly of MEMS devices, it is all here, with the joining of living tissue rounding out the array. This is a truly comprehensive survey of both the theoretical and practical aspects of the connection of similar and dissimilar materials to each other. In the process of describing and analyzing connection processes, the structure and properties of the diverse materials included in the text are themselves presented in some detail. Messler has wide experience in both industry and university research and has created an extensive and useful compendium based on this broad background. That said, the book itself is somewhat schizophrenic; it seems to be neither a textbook nor an encyclopedia but tries to be both. In its efforts, it is highly repetitious, with some material being covered two or three times in successive chapters. This gives the impression that it is be read topically, not sequentially, although some chapter sets are clearly sequential. Part I, Joining Processes and Technologies, starts with an overview of joining, followed by chapters devoted to mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding and cementing, welding, brazing and soldering, and variant and hybrid joining processes. The materials included in these ten chapters span ceramics, metals, and polymers. The chapters also include some very good discussions of the physical structure, chemistry, and metallurgy of these materials, but probably require a greater background in physical chemistry and metallurgy than many potential readers can be expected to have. One of the approaches the author uses in these chapters is to present the alternate ways of categorizing joining processes used by researchers and
professional societies before proceeding with his own analysis. This both acquaints the reader with the complexities of process categorization and creates a better understanding of their relationship to one another. Since professional engineering societies apply differing standards to materials joining, understanding these differences is useful. Part II, Joining of Specific Materials and Structures, consists of six chapters focusing on the joining of specific groups of materials (metals, alloys and intermetallics, ceramics and glasses, polymers, composites, dissimilar materials, and living tissue). There is considerable overlap, both with respect to materials and processes, between Parts I and II and between some of these chapters. This gives the impression that the chapters in this part, at least, are intended to be used as standalone sources, as in an encyclopedia. However, much new information about materials is also introduced in this section, making the overall structure of the book somewhat obscure. Even with this confusion of roles, this is a very useful book and I expect to refer to it often, not only for the text but also for the tables, which bring together a wealth of practical information that could otherwise Robert W. Messler, Jr. Joining of Materials and Structures Elsevier (2004), 816 pp., ISBN 0-7506-7757-0 $125 / £69.99
only be found in a number of handbooks, manufacturers’ data files, and materials specifications. The focus on both theory and practice is a distinct strength of the book. Readers unfamiliar with a particular process or how to join specific materials will find good discussions of the options available to them. This is a substantial volume at over 800 pages. This was brought to my attention when it failed to pass an airline security check because it was impenetrable to the X-ray machine. The reader, in contrast, will find the writing style to be clear and direct. Alan W. Pense is professor emeritus of materials science and engineering at Lehigh University.
April 2005
57
Comprehensive joinery
Helmut J. Böhm (ed.)
Robert W. Messler, Jr. has created a comprehensive review that tells you all you ever wanted to know about the joining of materials and perhaps a little bit more, says Alan W. Pense.
Springer (2004), 306 pp. ISBN: 3-211-24154-X $99 / £56 / 72.50
Work on microstructured materials has aimed to obtain microstructureproperty correlations and to study damage and failure behavior. This book deals with thermomechanical behavior. It gives an overview of analytical and numerical modeling approaches in continuum micromechanics, and is aimed at researchers working on materials such as composites, metals, and ceramics.
Computational Mechanics of Composite Materials M. M. Kaminski Springer (2005), 418 pp. ISBN: 1-85233-427-4 $139 / £80 / 119.95
Computational mechanics has become necessary to provide precise numerical models of the stochastic behavior of composite materials. This book stresses the advantages of combining theoretical advances in applied mathematics and mechanics with the probabilistic approach to experimental data. It will be of interest to civil, mechanical, electronic, and aerospace engineers, as well as materials scientists.
Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers Vadapalli Chandrasekhar Springer (2005), 338 pp. ISBN: 3-540-22574-9 $59.95 / £33.50 / 49.95
This textbook aims to explain the basic principles that constitute the field of nonconventional polymers containing inorganic and organometallic units as the repeating units. The principles involved in their preparation, characterization, and applications are discussed, as is the basic inorganic chemistry required for understanding each topic. Expert Graduate Undergraduate
While there are many textbooks and handbooks on the topic of joining, I know of no other that takes such a comprehensive view of the multitudinous ways in which materials can be nailed, bolted, glued, welded, soldered, cemented, snapped, and sewn together. From tying stones to forked sticks to the self-assembly of MEMS devices, it is all here, with the joining of living tissue rounding out the array. This is a truly comprehensive survey of both the theoretical and practical aspects of the connection of similar and dissimilar materials to each other. In the process of describing and analyzing connection processes, the structure and properties of the diverse materials included in the text are themselves presented in some detail. Messler has wide experience in both industry and university research and has created an extensive and useful compendium based on this broad background. That said, the book itself is somewhat schizophrenic; it seems to be neither a textbook nor an encyclopedia but tries to be both. In its efforts, it is highly repetitious, with some material being covered two or three times in successive chapters. This gives the impression that it is be read topically, not sequentially, although some chapter sets are clearly sequential. Part I, Joining Processes and Technologies, starts with an overview of joining, followed by chapters devoted to mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding and cementing, welding, brazing and soldering, and variant and hybrid joining processes. The materials included in these ten chapters span ceramics, metals, and polymers. The chapters also include some very good discussions of the physical structure, chemistry, and metallurgy of these materials, but probably require a greater background in physical chemistry and metallurgy than many potential readers can be expected to have. One of the approaches the author uses in these chapters is to present the alternate ways of categorizing joining processes used by researchers and
professional societies before proceeding with his own analysis. This both acquaints the reader with the complexities of process categorization and creates a better understanding of their relationship to one another. Since professional engineering societies apply differing standards to materials joining, understanding these differences is useful. Part II, Joining of Specific Materials and Structures, consists of six chapters focusing on the joining of specific groups of materials (metals, alloys and intermetallics, ceramics and glasses, polymers, composites, dissimilar materials, and living tissue). There is considerable overlap, both with respect to materials and processes, between Parts I and II and between some of these chapters. This gives the impression that the chapters in this part, at least, are intended to be used as standalone sources, as in an encyclopedia. However, much new information about materials is also introduced in this section, making the overall structure of the book somewhat obscure. Even with this confusion of roles, this is a very useful book and I expect to refer to it often, not only for the text but also for the tables, which bring together a wealth of practical information that could otherwise Robert W. Messler, Jr. Joining of Materials and Structures Elsevier (2004), 816 pp., ISBN 0-7506-7757-0 $125 / £69.99
only be found in a number of handbooks, manufacturers’ data files, and materials specifications. The focus on both theory and practice is a distinct strength of the book. Readers unfamiliar with a particular process or how to join specific materials will find good discussions of the options available to them. This is a substantial volume at over 800 pages. This was brought to my attention when it failed to pass an airline security check because it was impenetrable to the X-ray machine. The reader, in contrast, will find the writing style to be clear and direct. Alan W. Pense is professor emeritus of materials science and engineering at Lehigh University.
April 2005
57