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Saturday 29 September 2012

Sustainable Materials_with both eyes open_Free to download and read or to buy as hard cover_

Indispensable addition to  today's Materials Professionals and Designers Library.

This excellent book may be read for free at the following link

   Download the whole book in one PDF file [25Mb] 

Reviews may be found both on the book's website above, on the MaterialsToday site where I found reference to this excellent addition to the professional metallurgist, materials scientist and all involved in materials. Further this stimulated my memory as a regular reader of books reviewed by our professional materials scientists, technologists and engineers, members of The Institute- IOM3. Indeed I found  "Sustainable Materials_with both eyes open" reviewed for the Institute by Ian J. Bowbrick, (FIMMM)  Head of Professional Formation at The Royal Academy of Engineering

Executive summary by Ian who noted this book 10/10 which is an unusually high score.

"The story concludes by looking at the role business policymakers and individuals have in creating a sustainable materials future. The approach in ‘taking the fight’ to business is deftly handled. Realistically the authors cite that cost savings are too weak a driver for action by business and call on policymakers to kick-start the actions required. To this end, they propose a robust and detailed five-point plan. The story finishes with a useful pro-forma checklist for professionals looking to make a difference. 

I found this book to be well researched with reasoned and compelling arguments. Allwood and Cullen are to be congratulated on delivering a methodology that can be regarded as a paradigm shift to a new way of teaching and understanding materials science in the post-fossil fuel era society is now entering. This is essential reading for both student and practitioner, particularly those in senior management positions. 10/10." 

NB. For a full list of book reviews by IOM3 professionals all fully available to the interested specialist, non-member or motivated general public here is the

Hope you have and enjoyable and profitable read.

Friday 28 September 2012

Key facts about the Steel industry from the World Steel Association

As Europe struggles in the face of high growth emerging economies - "Europe
and the United States show a weakness in both GDP and industrial production as GDP is forecast to grow less than 2.0% in both 2011 and 2012, as opposed to an expected 9.0% and 7.5% growth in 2012 for China and India, respectively. (Ref 1. World Economic Outlook: Slowing Growth, Rising Risks, IMF, September 2011." whose role in economic downturns have been severely criticised by Nobel Economist Joseph Stieglitz as one of a bad lot of players, The Major US Bankers, their  followers, The anti-regulation lobby (lubby) The Frankenstein Labs for Innovation & Creativity of Wall Street, dixit JS)

I feel that I owe an atonement for neglecting this indispensable association of  the worlds steelmakers is ever more a necessity.

cf. links below taken from their website - many important reports and statistics are freely available.

Before the reader rushes down to these links let me draw your attention to the green background. Whether intentional or I surmise not, I was already thinking along these such a line. Environmental demands which must be brought to bare on these brave tough masculine environments.  Indeed the world Steel Association has drawn up a report entitled " Sustainable-steel-at-the-core-of-a-green-economy"

Sustainable-steel-at-the-core-of-a-green-economy.pdf

in particular let me draw the readers attention to Page 36 of the report

WHAT GOVERNMENTS AND POLICYMAKERS CAN DO TO HELP

I trust this may be of some help in our troubled Europe, in which the conservatives have raised a "hue & cry" for improved competitivity - ie more flexibility->lower wages (on average) at the lower levels, less people etc. Out side the industry the cry has reached top management (automobile industry - probably already squeezing the steelmaker to death- However I have never heard those who flex their vocal muscles and their financial clout to the extent of taking a huge cut in salary of the order of the crises they are so keen to underline.

I trust not everyone will enjoy reading this! 


Key facts about the Steel industry

Monday 24 September 2012

Steel Research and how metallurgy helps you live longer_Free critical review of hot stamping technology and its integration with coating systems from Wiley_ Automobile Applications


"How Metallurgy Helps You Live Longer" is the title of the introduction to Tim Adams editor of Wiley's Journal Steel research International in his Materials Views "blog" 



The critical review was written by by Prof. Bruno De Cooman and Dr. Dong Wei Fan of Pohang University of Science and Technology (FREE access). It provides a comprehensive review of steel hot stamping technology and its integration with coating systems is given, including Zn-Ni coatings, hybrid sol-gel coatings, recently developed Al–Zn alloy coatings and dual layer Zn–Al and Zn–Al–Mg coatings.  The authors include discussions of the weldability, paintability, and corrosion resistance of these systems, making this an important article for manufacturers and engineers alike.
This is a paper well woth reading and addint to our personal professional library
PDFLink to the original paper on Wiley Online Library

High Purity Cr sources for Superalloys

Energy for th Future:Phil.Trans.A-Vol. 365, N° 1853 / April 15, 2007, curtesy The Royal Soc. London

Engineered foams and porous materials: Phil Trans A. Vol 364, N° 1838 / 06 curtesy_The R Soc. Lond