This book is an overview of ESIS Technical Committee 4's activities since the mid-1980s. A wide range of tests is described and the numerous authors is a reflection of the wide and enthusiastic support we have had. With the establishment of the Technical Committee 4, two major areas were identified as appropriate for the activity. Firstly there was an urgent need for standard, fracture mechanics based, test methods to be designed for polymers and composites. A good deal of academic work had been done, but the usefulness to industry was limited by the lack of agreed standards. Secondly there was a perceived need to explore the use of such data in the design of plastic parts. Some modest efforts were made in early meetings to explore this, but little progress was made. In contrast things moved along briskly in the standards work and this has dominated the activity for the last fourteen years. The design issue remains a future goal.

As the shift from the Metal Age progresses, materials engineers and materials scientists seek new analytical and design methods to create stronger and more reliable materials. Based on extensive research and developmental work done at the author’s multi-disciplinary material laboratory, this graduate-level and professional reference addresses the relationship between fracture mechanisms (macroscale) and the microscopic, with the goal of explaining macroscopic fracture behavior based on a microscopic fracture mechanism. A careful fusion of mechanics and materials science, this text and monograph systematically considers an array of materials, from metals through ceramics and polymers, and demonstrates lab-tested strategies to develop desirable high-temperature materials for technological applications.

George Krauss, University Emeritus Professor, Colorado School of Mines and author of the best-selling ASM book Steels: Processing, Structure, and Performance, discusses some of the important additions and updates to the new second edition.

Providing a comprehensive overview of hot stamping (also known as ‘press hardening’), this book examines all essential aspects of this innovative metal forming method, and explores its various uses. It investigates hot stamping from both technological and business perspectives, and outlines potential future developments. Individual chapters explore topics such as the history of hot stamping, the state of the art, materials and processes employed, and how hot stamping is currently being used in the automotive industry to create ultra-high-strength steel components. Drawing on experience and expertise gathered from academia and industry worldwide, the book offers an accessible resource for a broad readership including students, researchers, vehicle manufacturers and metal forming companies.