The initial steps in the art of manufacturing cymbals are discussed from ancient times through the modern era, including copper smelting, alloying copper and tin, pouring the molten metal into ingots, and processing the ingots by hand-hammering or rolling a finished blank.

The production and processing of advanced materials, namely metals and alloys, began in the Old World about 8000 years ago and developed over many millennia, providing a lasting legacy for modern civilizations. This article gives a brief overview of the production and processing of ancient bronzes and silver in the Old World, and also mentions post-processing problems including corrosion and embrittlement, owing to long-term burial before archaeological recovery.

Optimizing the integrity and performance of highly engineered surfaces and structures requires the ability to visualize and understand material behavior over multiple length and time scales from a three-dimensional perspective. The Electron Microscopy Centre at the University of Manchester is equipped for such work as demonstrated in problem-solving scenarios involving multiscale imaging and analysis of the progression of intergranular corrosion in Al alloy 2024, the catalytic effect of silver nanoparticles in seawater, recrystallization in a volume element of a bronze alloy, and defect progression on graphene surfaces.

Laboratory tests conducted at the University of Southampton, UK, found that many species of bacteria including hospital superbugs, MRSA and VRE, are killed in less than 2 h on copper alloy surfaces. Tests conducted in a third-party lab subject to EPA audits confirmed these results, concluding that a range of copper alloy surfaces, such as brass, bronze, copper nickel, and nickel silver, achieve a 99.9% reduction of bacteria within 2 h of contact and that the effect is not impaired by tarnish. Other such tests have since been conducted and the results are presented in the article.

This article provides an overview of cracking and fracture mechanisms in heritage gold, silver, low-tin bronze, and wrought iron alloys. Understanding these mechanisms can be important for restorers, and possibly for conservators and curators as well. Metallography is widely used (when sampling is permitted) for studying archaeometallurgical artifacts in detail. However, fracture surface examinations and analysis (i.e., fractography) can often provide even greater insight. Case studies demonstrate the benefits of employing fractographic analysis to study cracking and fracture mechanisms in heritage alloys.

A brief literature review and case study explore the effect of particulate reinforcements and processing parameters on the tribological behavior of polymer matrix composites made by 3D printing via fused filament fabrication.

A look at processing and production of iron during the Iron Age, 1200 to 500 B.C., including early unintentional forms of steel.

News about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other society activities. Topics include: Affiliate societies name committee chairs for 2014-2015 term; ASM appoints Terry Mosier as interim managing director.

This case study details the noninvasive analysis of an 5000-year-old silver figurine from Iran, now in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The The object of this study, a figure of a kneeling bull clothed in a robe with a stepped linear pattern and holding up a spouted vessel, is composed of 15 pieces of worked silver joined together with silver solder. The aim of the study is to apply noninvasive micro-xray fluorescence spectroscopy (μ-XRF) analysis to characterize the silver alloy compositions and compare the new data with previously obtained results from invasive chemical analyses of samples performed by thermal neutron activation.

This article describes a metallographic and SEM study of a Spanish silver coin. The study verified the coin's authenticity and determined its alloy composition. The investigation is an example of a unique archaeometallurgical collaboration between a university and a museum.

A look at Monel after decades of exposure to the environment shows more work is needed to address the lack of scientific research and information in the conservation literature. Three case studies are presented related to the analysis of Monel artifacts.

A study of metal artifacts from the Mendoza region of Argentina reveals the influences of native migration and European conquest.

News about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other society activities. Topics include: Appointment of 2021-2022 ASM Committee and Council chairs; ASM's new Executive Director, Sandy Robert; contributor spotlight for Roch J. Shipley.

This article provides a brief overview of the applications of multimodal alumina-titania (n-AT) coatings stemming from a five-year program on thermal spray nanocoatings sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR). In the main example, plasma sprayed n-AT coatings are applied to the propulsion shafts of Mine Countermeasure ships, bringing a fourfold increase in service life.

News about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other society activities. Topics include: ASM affiliate societies announce officers and board members for 2015; highlights from MS&T 2015 held in Columbus, Ohio; volunteer profile for Nate Eisinger.

News about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other society activities. Topics include: ASM affiliate societies announce new officers and board members; updates from ASM President David B. Williams and ASM executive director Sandy Robert; rules changes for ASM awards.

Aluminum, one of the most widely used structural metals in modern industry, is produced in quantities exceeded only by steel. Its light weight, corrosion resistance, high strength after heat treatment, and global availability of bauxite ores make aluminum attractive for everything from kitchen utensils to spacecraft. This article describes early work to develop low-cost aluminum for industrial applications.

An examination of a bearing failure due to mismatched and incomplete flame hardening shows the need to work with heat treaters for proper selection and application. The article includes a case study of a large bearing raceway that failed due to incomplete austenitization.

Process optimization and optimal component performance can be achieved when multiple variables are measured and studied as a whole. In the investigation described in this article, fatigue performance of AISI 8620 H steel was characterized as a function of carburization case depth, hardness, residual stress, and retained austenite to demonstrate that an optimized carburization process could be engineered to meet specific application requirements.

News about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other society activities. Topics include: ASM appoints committee and council chairs for 2016-2017; Gunnar Nils Eriksson is announced as the 2017 J. Willard Gibbs Phase Equilibria Award recipient; professional profile for Sarah Straub; photo gallery of highlights from MS&T 2016; in memoriam for Edward L. Langer, the retired managing director of ASM International.