Book excerpt: Martensitic Transformation examines martensitic transformation based on the known crystallographical data. Topics covered range from the crystallography of martensite to the transformation temperature and rate of martensite formation. The conditions for martensite formation and stabilization of austenite are also discussed, along with the crystallographic theory of martensitic transformations. Comprised of six chapters, this book begins with an introduction to martensite and martensitic transformation, with emphasis on the basic properties of martensite in steels such as carbon steels. The next two chapters deal with the crystallography of martensite and discuss the martensitic transformation behavior of the second-order transition; lattice imperfections in martensite; and close-packed layer structures of martensites produced from ? phase in noble-metal-base alloys. Thermodynamical problems and kinetics are also analysed, together with conditions for the nucleation of martensite and problems concerning stabilization of austenite. The last chapter discusses the theory of the mechanism underlying martensitic transformation. This monograph will be of interest to metallurgists and materials scientists.