Progress of thermodynamics has been stimulated by the findings of a variety of fields of science and technology. The principles of thermodynamics are so general that the application is widespread to such fields as solid state physics, chemistry, biology, astronomical science, materials science, and chemical engineering. The contents of this book should be of help to many scientists and engineers.

Phosphoric acid is an important industrial acid that is utilized for manufacturing phosphatic fertilizers and industrial products, for pickling and posterior treatment of steel surfaces to prevent corrosion, for ensuring appropriate paint adhesion, and for the food and beverages industry, e.g., cola-type drinks to impart taste and slight acidity and to avoid iron sedimentation. This industry is spread out in countries of four continents - Asia, Africa, America, and Europe - which operate mines and production plants and produce fertilizers. Phosacid is one of the most widely known acids. The global phosacid market and its many phosphate derivatives are expanding worldwide; this trend is expected to continue in the next years, thus producing innovative products.

The idea of this monograph is to present the latest results related to design and computation of engineering materials and structures. The contributions cover the classical fields of mechanical, civil and materials engineering up to biomechanics and advanced materials processing and optimization. The materials and structures covered can be categorized into modern steels and titanium alloys, composite materials, biological and natural materials, material hybrids and modern joining technologies. Analytical modelling, numerical simulation, the application of state-of-the-art design tools and sophisticated experimental techniques are applied to characterize the performance of materials and to design and optimize structures in different fields of engineering applications.