The properties of steels depend critically on their microstructure. By examining the mechanical properties of steels in conjunction with microstructure, the first edition gave a clear description of the development and behavior of these materials - the very foundation of their widespread use. This new edition more explicitly links this theory with applications while retaining the style and purpose of its predecessor.

Stainless steel is still one of the fastest growing materials. Today, the austenitic stainless steel with the classic composition of 18% Cr and 8% Ni (grade 304L) is still the most widely used by far in the world. The unique characteristic of stainless steel arises from three main factors. The versatility results from high corrosion resistance, excellent low- and high-temperature properties, high toughness, formability, and weldability. The long life of stainless steels has been proven in service in a wide range of environments, together with low maintenance costs compared to other highly alloyed metallic materials. The retained value of stainless steel results from the high intrinsic value and easy recycling. Stainless steel, especially of austenitic microstructure, plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable development nowadays, so it is also important for further generations.

This book is intended both as a resource for engineers and as an introduction to the layman about our most important metal system. After an introduction that deals with the history and refining of iron and steel, the rest of the book examines their physical properties and metallurgy. To elaborate on the importance of iron and steel, we can refer to the fact that modern civilization as we know it would not be possible without it. Steel is essential in the machinery necessary for manufacturing that meets our needs. Even the words themselves have come to suggest strength. Phrases such as 'iron willed', 'iron fisted', 'iron clad', 'iron curtain' and 'pumping iron' imply strength. A 'steely glance' is a stern look. 'A heart of steel' refers to a very hard demeanor. The Russian dictator, Stalin (which means steel in Russian), chose the name to invoke fear in those under him.

Welding processes handbookis an introductory guide to all of the main welding processes. It is specifically designed for students on EWF courses and newcomers to welding and is suitable as a textbook for European welding courses in accordance with guidelines from the European Welding Federation. Welding processes and equipment necessary for each process are described so that they can be applied to all instruction levels required by the EWF and the important areas of welded joint design, quality assurance and costing are also covered in detail.

Stainless steel, termed as the "miracle metal" is all around us in numerous applications ranging from everyday household items to sophisticated biomedical applications. Stainless steel is one of the fastest growing segments in metal industries. New developments and a wide range of research on stainless steel is taking place all around the world in order to obtain superior quality stainless steel and expand its applications to meet growing demands. Taking those facts into account, this book is compiles recent developments in the properties, applications and further processing of stainless steel and recent research trends. The book includes high-tech characterisation techniques of stainless steel to address the decomposition behaviour; decomposition-induced transformation to the correlated property-microstructure; powder metallurgy to produce difficult-to-cast stainless steel components, depassivation / repassivation behaviour, various surface treatment processes as well as a wide range of machining techniques to address the need of machinability of stainless steel.