Reflecting the diverse interests of Jean-Michel Spieser, his colleagues, students and friends contribute papers focused on topics ranging from the changing role of the apse and the layout of late antique basilicas to holy relics said to have been brought from Constantinople. Many of the articles address the nature and impact of specific media - goldsmiths' work, ivory and ceramics - while a group of highly original, broader studies is devoted to such larger issues as ritual display in the tenth century, the metaphorical significance of pottery and an interrogation of the supposed influence of Byzantine icons on Western medieval art. Throughout, the achievement of the authors is to move from concrete observations of particular objects to the larger meaning they held for those who commissioned and made use of them.

This book outlines the basic science underlying the prediction of stress and velocity distributions in granular materials. The nature of a rigid-plastic material is discussed and a comparison is made between the Coulomb and conical (extended Von Mises) models. The methods of measuring material properties are described and an interpretation of the experimental results is considered in the context of the Critical State Theory. Exercises and solutions are provided that will be particularly useful for the reader.

"This text is intended for a one-semester introductory course."--Page 1.

The ability to measure and manipulate matter on the nanometer level is making possible a new generation of materials with enhanced mechanical, optical, transport and magnetic properties. This important book summarises key developments in nanotechnology and their impact on the processing of metals, polymers, composites and ceramics.After a brief introduction, a number of chapters discuss the practical issues involved in the commercial production and use of nanomaterials. Other chapters review ways of nanoengineering steel, aluminium and titanium alloys. Elsewhere the book discusses the use of nanoengineered metal hydrides to store hydrogen as an energy source, and the development of nanopolymers for batteries and other energy storage devices. Other chapters discuss the use of nanotechnology to enhance the toughness of ceramics, the production of synthetic versions of natural materials such as bone, and the development of nanocomposites.Nanostructure control of materials is an ideal introduction to the ways nanotechnology is being used to create new materials for industry. It will be welcomed by R&D managers in such sectors as automotive engineering as well as academics working in this exciting area. - Reviews key developments in nanotechnology and their impact on various materials - Edited by leading experts in the field