Dictionary of Metallurgy [Hardcover]

Colin D. Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0471961558 | ISBN-13: 978-0471961550 | Edition: 1

A comprehensive dictionary on the science and technology of metallurgy, which impacts on many areas of modern life, and includes relevant areas of associated subjects such as welding and engineering. It will appeal to a wide range of readers including practitioners and students of metallurgy and other technologies as well as non-technical professionals.

The format also allows the reader to obtain a simple definition of the term in question whilst giving a more detailed explanation, including, where appropriate, the introduction of related topics and comment on the usage of the term.

There are illustrations for many of the entries and thirteen tables to provide a summary of the properties of metals, alloys and non-metallic materials; conversion charts for various units of strength and hardness.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Metallurgy is the branch of materials science concerned with the processing of metals and their ores. This is a fully cross-referenced dictionary that provides lengthy definitions of metallurgic terms with additional explanations, supplementary and complementary information.

From the Back Cover

This dictionary provides a summary of the science and technology of metallurgy, including relevant areas of associated subjects such as welding and engineering. It will appeal to a wide range of readers including practitioners and students of metallurgy and other technologies as well as non-technical professionals seeking an overview of the impact of metallurgy on many areas of modern life. The format also allows the reader to obtain a simple definition of the term in question whilst also giving a more detailed explanation, including, where appropriate, the introduction of related topics and comment on the usage of the term. There are illustrations for many of the entries and thirteen tables to provide a summary of the properties of metals, alloys and non-metallic materials; conversion charts for various units of strength and hardness.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 316 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (February 12, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471961558
• ISBN-13: 978-0471961550
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,662,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible to practitioners and students of metallurgy, February 4, 2001

By 

Frat Ēng "Firochromis" (Ankara, Turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dictionary of Metallurgy (Hardcover)

The Dictionary of Metallurgy is a small volume, intended to provide concise, easy to find definitions of fundamental terms used in applied physical and engineering metallurgy. The book is meant to be accessible to practitioners and students of metallurgy as well as to non-technical readers, who may need more basic definitions. For example, the term "ablation" provides a simple definition and then compares the metallurgical usage with that in medicine and geology, making the meaning clear to readers from diverse backgrounds. Bold and italicized words within a definition are supposed to denote related words and cross-references to other definitions respectively. This usage is not consistent and is sometimes needlessly confusing. Bold words are explained briefly within the definition itself, but they do not always lead to a valid alphabetical entry with more information, although the preface leads you to believe they will. Italicized words do lead to a cross-referenced alphabetical entry, but you may need another step before you find a definition. For example "vacancy" is defined as "an unoccupied atomic site in a crystal lattice," but the entry for "crystal lattice" says "see crystal structure."

The dictionary is obviously written from a British perspective and this has several implications for American readers. British spellings are used (e.g., metre, vapour, sulphide), but these are usually close enough alphabetically to American spellings for the American reader to find them quickly. Other words, like gray and gauge, are cross-referenced to the British spelling and full definition. The British term "earth" is defined as the non-powered return of an electrical circuit, but there is no entry for the American term "ground." There is an extensive explanation of the UK standard terminology for engineering steels, but no mention of the AISI/SAE standard numerical designations of plain carbon alloy steels.