Rapid solidification processing results in increased strength, and fracture and fatigue resistance of alloys, with concurrent improvements in mechanical, physical and chemical properties. This volume provides a systematic examination of this technology, including metallurgical aspects, processing methods, alloy design, and applications. Each chapter was prepared by a specialist for this volume. The text is well illustrated with more than 400 micrographs and schematics. More than 75 tables provide important reference data.

Emphasizing metallurgical and materials applications of shock-wave and high-strain-rate phenomena, this superb volume presents the work of the leading international authorities who examine the state of the art of explosive and related technologies in the context of metallurgical and materials processing and fabrication.

New composite materials and semi-fabricates, as disparate in their nature as solid multilaminates and powder compacts, have been steadily increasing in importance. Their application to a variety of industrial situations is being made easier by the considerable development of conventional manufacturing techniques which fulfil many of the requirements imposed on such materials. At the same time, however, the degree of their exploitation can be limited by, either the inadequate final product properties, or simply - as in the case of particulate matter - by the inability of these techniques to produce significant quantities of the composite. For these reasons, combined with the ever increasing demand for highly sophisticated composites, attention has been focused on the dynamic manufacturing methods. Not only do they extend the range of the available routes, but they also offer the possibility of achieving chemical and/or structural syntheses of new materials from either the elemental or complex constituents. What is more, these techniques often tend to ensure integral bonding of the elements of the structure and they thus enhance the mechanical properties of the composite.

19th Canadian Fracture Conference, Ottawa, Ontario, May 29-31, 1989