Materials Characterisation IV: Computational Methods and Experiments

Contains the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Computational Methods in Materials Characterisation, held in tHE New Forest, UK, June 17-19, 2009.

Until recently, engineering materials could be characterized successfully
using relatively simple testing procedures. As materials technology
advances, interest is growing in materials possessing complex meso-, micro- and nano-structures, which to a large extent determine their physical properties and behaviour. The purposes of materials modelling are many: optimization, investigation of failure, simulation of production processes, to name but a few. Modelling and characterisation are closely intertwined, increasingly so as the complexity of the material increases. Characterisation, in essence, is the connection between the abstract material model and the real-world behaviour of the material in question. Characterisation of complex materials therefore may require a combination of experimental techniques and computation.

The papers in the book cover the following topics: Advances in Composites; Ceramics and Advanced Materials; Alloys; Cements; Biomaterials; Thin Films and Coatings; Imaging and Image Analysis; Thermal Analysis; New Methods; Surface Chemistry; Nano Materials; Damage Mechanics; Fatigue and Fracture; Innovative Computational Techniques; Computational Models and Experiments, Mechanical Characterisation and Testing.