The Fabrication of Materials

Materials Technology, Volume 2: The Fabrication of Materials deals with the processes of materials fabrication. This book focuses on systems used to transform raw materials into shaped states suitable for practical service. Principles of manufacture are discussed, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each method of fabrication and the diverse manufacturing sequences that are possible. The administrative aspects of manufacture are also considered. This volume is comprised of eight chapters and begins by introducing the reader to casting methods, including solidification casting, gravity-flow mold-filling, and pressurized mold-filling. Emphasis is placed on how materials that are reduced to a liquid state and then solidified can be prepared for service or formed to a useful shape. The chapters that follow explore powder preparation, mixing, compacting, and consolidation; mechanical means of fabrication; fabrication by bonding and machining; and the role of inventors and designers in fabrication. This volume concludes by assessing the economic aspects of fabrication, with particular reference to essential needs, conveniences, and luxuries. This book will be useful to first-year university undergraduates in engineering technician courses and more specialized technician courses.