Technology : Material Science

Ceramics and ceramic composites are now used in almost all areas of technology and have potential for even greater and more widespread applications. To make this a reality, it is increasingly necessary to understand the microstructure of the material and its relationship with properties and performance. Central to this is the characterization of the material, in particular using optical and scanning electron microscopy techniques. This book acts as an expert guide to the various steps necessary for successful and accurate characterization of these materials including the crucially important preparation stage, the techniques used to reveal the microstructure and the analysis of the results. In particular, the book presents fundamental information on preparing polished sections of ceramics and ceramic composites including the main steps of sampling, sectioning, mounting and impregnation, and mechanical grinding, lapping and polishing. It discusses microstructural imaging in the optical microscope (OM) and the use of the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Etching or contrast enhancement following final polishing in order to reveal the material's microstructure is also covered. An entire chapter is devoted to material-specific preparation procedures for polished sections. These procedures take into account the properties of the ceramic or composite being examined and the purpose of the examination. They have proven to be very suitable for the respective materials and are effective for revealing the pores. The examples presented here for ceramics and ceramic composites provide polished sections of good to excellent quality for routine examination under the optical microscope. They include tips for etching and contrast enhancement, as well as microstructural images. Chapter 5 discusses the preparation of polished sections for purposes of examination and contains information on producing oblique sections and controlled removal of material. It also addresses the produc more...

Price: $135.00

The fabrication of high-tech devices and systems very often requires the knowledge of surface finish and surface morphology in length scales ranging from micron to nanometer during every step of the process. This has become especially important for many advanced and delicate devices, instruments, and manufacturing tools. The book provides updated knowledge on how to characterize these rough surfaces and how the roughness might affect the performance of the end products completed. more...

Price: $206.00

Gives a broad overview of chemical bonding at surfaces more...

Price: $99.95

Written for engineers, this reference collects numerous formulas, analytical methods, and graphs related to the design and selection of brakes and clutches for use in the automotive, aircraft, farming, and manufacturing industries. It simplifies calculations, introduces a wide range of applications, and assists in the selection of parameters for sp more...

Price: $169.95

During the past fifteen years there has been a dramatic increase in the number of different surfaces whose structures have been determined experimentally. For example, whereas in 1979 there were only 25 recorded adsorption structures, to date there are more than 250. This volume is therefore a timely review of the state-of-the-art in this dynamic field. Chapter one contains a compilation of the structural data base on surfaces within a series of tables that allows direct comparison of structural parameters for related systems. Experimental structural trends amongst both clean surfaces and adsorbate systems are highlighted and discussed. The next chapter outlines the successes of local density functional theory in predicting the relaxations and reconstructions of clean metal and semiconductor surfaces, and the behaviour of adsorbates such as hydrogen, oxygen and alkali elements on metal surfaces, thereby explaining some of the experimental trends observed within the database. These ab initio density functional calculations are of ground state properties at the absolute zero of temperature. Chapter three provides an introduction to finite temperature effects in a pedagogical review of current statistical mechanical treatments of phase transitions at surfaces, many of which display the prominent role of fluctuations or non-mean field behaviour. The final chapter discusses the relationship of the reactivity of a surface to its morphology and composition, which is particularly relevant to a fundamental understanding of catalysis. more...

Price: $206.00