Building on the success of previous editions, this textbook continues to provide engineers with a strong understanding of the three primary types of materials and composites, as well as the relationships that exist between the structural elements of materials and their properties.

The relationships among processing, structure, properties, and performance components for steels, glass-ceramics, polymer fibers, and silicon semiconductors are explored throughout the chapters. The discussion of the construction of crystallographic directions in hexagonal unit cells is expanded.

The latest edition of this bestselling textbook treats the important properties of three primary types of material--metals, ceramics, polymers--as well as composites. It describes the relationships that exist between the structural elements of these materials and their characteristics. Materials Science and Engineering emphasizes mechanical behavior and failure along with techniques used to improve the mechanical and failure properties in terms of alteration of structural elements.

At the end of each chapter, engineers will also find revised summaries and new equation summaries to reexamine key concepts.