The principal reasons which induced the authors to write this book and the features of the book are set forth in the preface to the Russian edition. That section of the science of metals which in Russian is called "metallovedenie" or the "physical chemistry of metals" is generally referred to in scientific and technical literature published in the English language by the term "physical metallurgy." These concepts are much broader than the term" metallography," used in the scientific and technical literature of various countries, and applied solely to research on the interrelationships of the structure and proper ties of metals and alloys. Each science must have its own subject and its own method of research. Certainly, all specialists will agree that metals and alloys, including their solid solutions, mechanical mix tures, and metallic compounds, form the subject of "physical metallurgy" or "physical chemis try of metals." The aim of this science. is to produce a theory and to elucidate the experimental relationships which ought finally to make it possible to calculate quantitatively alloys Of given properties for any working conditions and parameters.

NSA is a comprehensive collection of international nuclear science and technology literature for the period 1948 through 1976, pre-dating the prestigious INIS database, which began in 1970. NSA existed as a printed product (Volumes 1-33) initially, created by DOE's predecessor, the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). NSA includes citations to scientific and technical reports from the AEC, the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration and its contractors, plus other agencies and international organizations, universities, and industrial and research organizations. References to books, conference proceedings, papers, patents, dissertations, engineering drawings, and journal articles from worldwide sources are also included. Abstracts and full text are provided if available.

This report describes the characteristics and properties of existing commercial magnesium alloys and compares these relative to each other. Although this report is not intended to serve as a source of design data for magnesium alloys, it was written to provide a simple, up-to-date background of information for the technologist who is faced with the problem of materials selection and who is unfamiliar with the advantages and discaadvantages of magnesium alloys. The eight major alloying elements which are used to control the properties of magnesium are listed along with selected data illustrating the binary phase relationships which exist, between the hexagonal, close-packed structure of magnesium and each of these metals. The nomenclature system for commercial magnesium alloys is explained and compositions and available forms of the alloys are given. Property comparisons of both cast and wrought alloys are presented. There is a section in the report dealing with the joining, forming, and machining of magnesium, and a section devoted to a discussion of a number of finishing systems which have been developed for magnesium alloys. (Author).