Customer Reviews

Physical Metallurgy

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One look through the index will show you all you want to know. Check out this list of random buzz words from metallurgy and physics:Phonon Spectra, Rutherford backscattering, Spinodal decomposition, TEM bright field imaging, magnetic susceptibility, Kikuchi patterns, Phase diagrams, Van der Waals bond...

Isn't that great? For anybody doing any sort of work related to metallurgy, this text represents an excellent source for information that is general enough for daily use, but specific enough to be useful. Every chapter is very well written and can stand alone without the rest of the text. There are several volumes to this text, I believe, so be sure to find all of them.

This is based on the 3rd edition paperback book, NOT the multi-volume series.

What can I say, I think this is one of the best books for teaching yourself physical metallurgy. It is a very very good introduction.

1. It is cheaper than most other texts.
2. It mentions pretty much all of the important principles, but keeps it pretty short (only 402 pages of text).
3. It is well written and easy to understand, provided you have some background in materials science.
4. It is designed to be read in any order you like. Each section will tell you what other sections you should have already read.

The only downside is that it is old and only available in paperback. The author passed away in 93 right after finishing the 3rd edition. We will have to wait for somebody else to come along and write a new and/or updated book.

Some of the other reviews given here are of Physical Metallurgy by Peter Haasen, which is a single volume, 375-page metallurgy textbook. Amazon is lumping the reviews of this single volume text together with a three volume, 3000-page, virtual encyclopedia edited by Robert W. Cahn and Peter Haasen. My review is of the three-volume set.

This is an advanced text, in three volumes, made up of 32 authoritative articles. It is the fourth edition of a series began in 1960's, which can fairly be considered as the bible of physical metallurgy. This book is very comprehensive, covering all aspects of physical metallurgy, i.e., crystal structure, microstructure, metallurgical thermodynamics, alloys, phase diagrams, phase transformations, diffusion, dislocation theory, solidification, sintering, mechanical properties, metal fatigue, fracture and other topics, including a metallurgists guide to polymers. (The polymer section, while not metallurgy, falls under the topic of materials selection, which is often covered in metallurgy texts.) The only areas that are not covered are those, such as electronic properties, which are generally classed as solid-state physics. This book (the fourth edition) presents a comprehensive view of physical metallurgy as of the mid 1990's, with articles written by experts in their subspecialties. They are advanced and are suitable for practicing metallurgists and graduate students. Each is in effect a 100-page advanced textbook. The book is a great reference source and each section could be used as an advanced course text. However, I think that this series of three volumes is too advanced and detailed for those who only want a brief overview of physical metallurgy.

I think that the very high price for these three volumes requires some comment. In effect, one is getting 32 short textbooks and on that basis the price is not exorbitant. Many of the chapter authors have written texts on the same subject as their chapter. Many of these books, while generally longer, are priced in the range of $100. If you want this series primarily for a single subject, say, metallurgical thermodynamics or metal fatigue you would probably be better off buying a text on that subject. Buying the whole series makes sense for a library or for the business use of several employees.

... when you already have a basic understanding of the subject.
This book is very useful as introduction to physical metallurgy, but students and researchers familiar with the subject will find it a condensed and concise reference.

I have ordered two sets of three volume set book of 'Physical Metallurgy' Physical Metallurgy, Fourth Edition (Three Volume Set) last November. Last week Friday two books from one set (vol. 1 & 2) were delivered to my address, where are the rest of FOUR books? The service has been very slow and incomplete, please confirm the delivery from Amazon was proper.

regards, Yujie Dong

I got new ideas when I read this book.