Book excerpt: This renowned text has provided many thousands of students with an easily accessible introduction to the wide ranging subject area of materials engineering and manufacturing processes for over thirty years. Avoiding the excessive technical jargon and mathematical complexity so often found in textbooks for this subject, and retaining the practical down-to-earth approach for which this book is noted, Materials for Engineers and Technicians is now thoroughly updated and fully in line with current syllabus requirements. Offering a comprehensive guide to materials used by engineers, their applications and selection in a single volume, the fourth edition focuses on applications and selection – reflecting the increased emphasis on this aspect of materials engineering now seen within current vocational and university courses. Materials properties and relevance to particular uses are addressed in detail from the outset, with all subsequent chapters linking back to these essential concepts. Detailed discussion of examples of materials, and additional applications of processes have been incorporated throughout the text, with expanded sections addressing the causes of failure as this relates to material selection. Updated sections in the fourth edition provide a wider ranging discussion of titanium, printed-circuit-board materials and production, silicon chip production, and the applications and forms of modern composite materials. This new edition has been matched closely to the relevant units of the BTEC Higher National Engineering program, as well as catering fully for the requirements of a Level 3 audience. Students of BTEC Nationals will find that the new edition structure covers all the essential topics required for their courses in the early chapters (chapters 1 – 8). Those students following higher level qualifications (HNC / D Engineering, and first year undergraduate Engineering Materials modules within Mechanical, Manufacturing Systems and also Electrical & Electronic Engineering degree courses) will find additional more advanced topics are addressed in the second half of the book. In addition to meeting the requirements of vocational and undergraduate engineering syllabuses, this text will also prove a valuable desktop reference for professional engineers working in product design, who require a quick source of information on materials and manufacturing processes.