Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design [Paperback]

Michael F. Ashby (Author), Kara Johnson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0750655542 | ISBN-13: 978-0750655545 | Publication Date: December 24, 2002 | Edition: 1

The history of man is recorded, recovered and remembered through the designs he created and the materials he used. Materials are the stuff of design, and today is not the age of just one material, but of an immense range.

Best selling author M. F. Ashby guides the reader through the process of selecting materials on the basis of their design suitability. He and co-author Kara Johnson begin with the assumption that products in a given market sector have little to distinguish between them in either performance or cost. When many technically near-equivalent products compete, market share is won or lost by the industrial design of a product: its visual and tactile attributes, the associations it carries, the image it creates in the consumer's mind and the quality of its interface with the use and the environment.



Ashby and Johnson address the problem of selecting materials for industrial design from a unique viewpoint. They acknowledge that materials have two overlapping roles, in technical design and in industrial design. The technical designer has ready access to materials information. Industrial designers often do not have equivalent support.

Materials Selection in Industrial Design presents groundbreaking new information that, on one hand introduces engineering students to the principles of Industrial Design and to the idea that the selection of materials can directly affect the aesthetic qualities of the object. On the other hand they introduce industrial design students and practising industrial designers to engineering parameters through an accessible and holistic approach.

* Easy to use systematic approach to the selection and uses of materials

* Many excellent attribute "maps" are included which enable complex comparative information to be readily grasped

* Full colour photographs and illustrations throughout aid the understanding of concepts

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design...editor's choice." - Design Issues

'..the book has very interesting and thorough information, and would be a very useful tool for an industrial designer.'
Materials World, May 2004

'Both interesting and intriguing, the book should prove a valuable resource for those starting out in design or engineering ... also very fun to browse'
--Science Magazine, June 13 2003


'...thoroughly "user-friendly" instructional guide to the scientific and systematic crafting of products from a variety of materials...strongly recommended as an extensive, superbly organized and presented, instructional resource and professional level reference.'
--Wisconsin Bookwatch, February 2003

'This books sets out to bridge the gap between the technical language of the materials scientist and the qualitative language of the industrial designer... This is an excellent book and fills a significant gap in the education of industrial designers. I highly recommend it.'
-- Professor Charles M. Falco, University of Arizona, Materials Today, April 2003

"aimed at... designers and engineering students - it is illuminating to see how they are trained to select materials. In particular, it is instructive to learn how different selection strategies are needed for different types of end product...try browsing through this attractive and informative book."
- Chemistry in Britain, Feb 2003

"It is not often that I find it difficult to stop reading a book ... the word inspirational is used in various parts of (this) book -- and how appropriate this word is to this textbook ... For both students and designers, Materials & Design is a gold mine. In short, I thoroughly recommend this book"
- Building Engineer, May 2003

"The book is highly recommended as a complementary text to more traditional academic books on materials and materials processes, and on their systematic selection. The book is competitively priced and represents excellent value for money."
- K.L. Edwards, Univerity of Darby, 2003

"When I looked at this book for the first time, I could not stop myself from being amazed with its concept, form, design, and contents. ... It is a unique book that elucidates evolution of products and the materials from a historical to the modern perspective. ... I would strongly recommend this volume for design students and engineers, materials engineers, and mechanical engineers.
- Corrosion June 2004

"This well-written and easy-to-read book serves as an introduction to materials for students, and for engineers. The book serves as a concise reference for materials and processes...While there are numerous books on materials technology and selection out there for the engineer, the integration of design principles with materials selection in this book make it fairly unique and a worthwhile reference for designers, engineers, and suppliers." -Adhesives & Sealants Newsletter, 2006

Book Description

Design Engineers need this book to easily understand the best practices and processes for selecting materials when developing competitive and consumer-friendly products.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann; 1 edition (December 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0750655542
• ISBN-13: 978-0750655545
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #590,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to design, materials, and processes, December 30, 2002

By 

Blaine Lilly (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design (Paperback)

I teach product design at Ohio State to students from several engineering disciplines, and this latest book from Prof. Mike Ashby is exactly what I've been looking for. It gives an overview of product design from the perspective of the industrial designer, something engineering students need to appreciate. More importantly, it also provides a wealth of useful data on a wide range of materials and fabrication processes. In addition, each chapter has a thorough annotated reference list - valuable to anyone just entering the field. All this, and it's a beautiful example of book design, in the bargain. Regrettably, it suffers a bit from a lack of proofreading, as many books seem to these days.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great if you really want to know about materials., March 26, 2005

By 

Fernan Castillo (Bogotá, Colombia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design (Paperback)

It's quite heavy to read... but it covers so much information that it's worth of it. You won't find fancy products shown on the inside for any kind of material, but you will understand everything about them.

If you are truly interested in Materials and Design, this is your book. I suggest also to take a look of those books written by Chris Lefteri, they are easier to read for a student, and have examples of the materials with great pictures. It's up to you "what" and "how" you want to learn.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Individual chapters address multidimensional issues, February 13, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Materials and Design: The Art and Science of Material Selection in Product Design (Paperback)

Collaboratively written by Mike Ashby (Professor, Engineering Department, Cambridge University) and design materials expert Kara Johnson, Materials And Design: The Art And Science Of Material Selection In Product Design is a thoroughly "user friendly" instructional guide to the scientific and systematic crafting of products from a variety of materials. Individual chapters address multidimensional issues, shaping joints and surfaces, rules of thumb for selecting certain materials over others, and much more in express, college-level detail. Enhanced throughout with full color photography and numerous illustrations, Materials And Design is strongly recommended as an extensive, superbly organized and presented, instructional resource and professional level reference.