This article focuses on the application of solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in materials science, especially for inorganic and organic polymer solids. It begins with a discussion on the general principles of NMR, providing information on nuclear spin descriptions and line narrowing and spectral resolution and describing the impact of magnetic field on nuclear spins and the factors determining resonance frequency. This is followed by a description of various systems and equipment necessary for NMR spectroscopy. A discussion on general sampling for solid-state NMR, sample-spinning requirements, and extraneous signals is then included. Various factors pertinent to accurate calibration of the NMR spectrum are also described. The article provides information on some of the parameters both beneficial and problematic for processing NMR data. It ends with a description of the applications of NMR in glass science and ceramics.

This article describes the presses that are mechanically or hydraulically powered and used for producing sheet, strip, and plate from sheet metal. It also presents the JIC standards for presses, compares the presses based on power source, details the selection criteria and provides information on the various drive systems and the auxiliary equipment. It describes the selection of die materials and lubricants for sheet metal forming and provides information on the lubrication mechanisms and selection with a list of lubricant types for forming of specific sheet materials of ferrous or nonferrous metals. The article reviews the various types of forming processes such as blanking, piercing, fine-edge blanking, press bending, press forming, forming by multiple-slide machines, deep drawing, stretch forming, spinning, rubber-pad forming, three-roll forming, contour roll forming, drop hammer forming, explosive forming, electromagnetic forming, and superplastic forming.

This article discusses the mechanics, surface preparation and principles of metal forming operations such as drawing, bending (draw bending, compression bending, roll bending, and stretch bending), spinning, and straightening of bars, tubes, wires, rods and structural shapes. The article also discusses the machines and tools, including dies and mandrels, and lubricants used for these metal forming operations.

This article discusses the classification of the attachment and joining methods in plastics, including mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding, solvent bonding, and welding. It describes the mechanical fastening techniques used to join both similar and dissimilar materials with machine screws or bolts, nuts and washers, molded-in threads, self-threading screws, rivets, spring-steel fasteners, press fits, and snap fits. The article explains solvent bonding used for thermoplastic parts, and tabulates the solvent types used with various plastics. It also describes the surface preparation of plastics, chemical treatment for adhesion, and tabulates the adhesive types for bonding plastics to plastics and plastics to nonplastics. The article briefly describes the welding processes of thermoplastics, including fusion welding (hot-tool, hot gas, extrusion, and focused infrared), friction welding (vibration, spin, and ultrasonic), and electromagnetic welding (resistance, induction, dielectric, and microwave). It concludes with the evaluation of welds using destructive and nondestructive testing.

Electronic structure methods based on the density functional theory (DFT) are used as a powerful tool for assessing the mechanical thermodynamic and defect properties of metal alloys. This article presents the origins of the electronic structure methods and their strengths and limitations. It describes the basic procedures for calculating essential structural properties in metal alloys. The article reviews the approximations and computational details of the pseudopotential plane wave methods used in metal systems. It provides information on the applications of DFT methods in metal alloy systems. The article discusses the calculations of a variety of structural, thermodynamic, and defect properties, with particular emphasis on structural metal alloys and their derivatives.

This article discusses the fundamentals and applications of localized heat treating methods: induction hardening and tempering, laser surface transformation hardening, and electron-beam heat treatment. The article provides information about equipment and describes the selection of frequency, power, duration of heating, and coil design for induction hardening. The article also discusses the scope, application, methods, and operation of flame hardening.

This article reviews the steps involved in presurface-preparation inspection: substrate replacement; removal of weld spatter, rounding of sharp edges, and grinding of slivers/laminations; and removal of rust scale, grease, oil, and chemical (soluble salt) contamination. It focuses on surface preparation methods that range from simple solvent cleaning to hand and power tool cleaning, dry and wet abrasive blast cleaning, centrifugal wheel blast cleaning, chemical stripping, and waterjetting for the application of the coating system. In addition, the article provides a description of the Society for Protective Coatings' (SSPC) standards and NACE International standards as well as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards and International Concrete Repair Institute (ICRI) guidelines for surface cleanliness.

Ceramic materials serve important insulative, capacitive, conductive, resistive, sensor, electrooptic, and magnetic functions in a wide variety of electrical and electronic circuitry. This article focuses on various applications of advanced ceramics in both electric power and electronics industry, namely, dielectric, piezoelectric, ferroelectric, sensing, magnetic and superconducting devices.

Thermal analysis provides a powerful tool for researchers and engineers in determining both unknown and reproducible behavioral properties of polymer molecules. This article covers the thermal analysis and thermal properties of engineering plastics with respect to chemical composition, chain configuration, conformation of the base polymers, processing of the base polymers with or without additives; and the response to chemical, physical, and mechanical stresses of base polymers as unfilled, shaped articles or as components of composite structures. It also describes thermal analysis techniques, including differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, thermomechanical analysis, and rheological analysis. This article also summarizes the basic thermal properties used in the application of engineering plastics, such as thermal conductivity, temperature resistance, thermal expansion, specific heat, and the determination of glass transition temperatures. It concludes with a discussion of the thermal and related properties of nine thermostat resin systems divided into three groups by low, medium, and high service temperature capabilities.

Horizontal centrifugal casting is used to cast parts having an axis of revolution. This article discusses the operations of various horizontal casting machines, such as flanged shaft machine, horizontal roller-type machine, and double-face plate machine. It describes the types of molds, such as expendable molds and permanent molds, used for centrifugal casting. The article also discusses the steps in casting process, namely, pouring, solidification, and babbitting. It provides information on the applications of the horizontal centrifugal casting.

Characteristics of stainless steel that affect its formability include yield strength, tensile strength, and ductility, in addition to the effect of work hardening on these properties. This article discusses the forming process of stainless steel, heat-resistant alloys and refractory metals, detailing the major aspects of forming, including formability, lubrication, and forming methods and tools. The effect of factors such as alloy condition, cold reduction, forming direction (in the case of heat-resistant alloys) and temperature (in the case of refractory metals) on formability is also discussed.

Babbitting is a process by which relatively soft metals are bonded chemically or mechanically to a stronger shell or stiffener which supports the weight and torsion of a rotating, oscillating, or sliding shaft. This article focuses on workpiece preparation and babbitting methods. Prior to casting, the workpiece must be scrupulously prepared by various cleaning, fluxing, and tinning steps. Babbitting of bearing shells can be accomplished by three methods, namely, static babbitting, centrifugal casting, and metal spray babbitting.

This article discusses the principles and limitations of micromagnetic techniques, namely, magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN) and magnetoacoustic emission (MAE). It also discusses various factors limiting the establishment of acceptance criteria for test components as they pertain to the successful application of MBN measurement and signal interpretation. The article provides an overview of basic magnetic phenomena and dynamics in ferromagnetic materials that underlie the origin of MBN emissions. It describes the changes in the domain structure of the ferromagnetic material under an applied external field. The relationship between uniaxial stress and angular-dependent strain is also discussed. The influence of stress on domain walls, and therefore, the generation of Barkhausen noise are described. The article also describes the directional and angular MBN measurements and provides information on detection, angular dependence, and advanced analysis methods of MBN emissions.

This article introduces various analytical techniques commonly used in the characterization of organic solids and liquids and discusses the challenges in performing the analysis, with examples. Some general advice in approaching a material analysis is also provided.

This article begins with discussion on forgeability and the factors affecting the forgeability of aluminum and aluminum alloys. It describes the types of forging methods and equipment and reviews critical elements in the overall aluminum forging process: die materials, die design, and die manufacture. The article discusses the critical aspects of various manufacturing elements of aluminum alloy forging, including the preparation of the forging stock, preheating stock, die heating, lubrication, trimming, forming and repair, cleaning, heat treatment, and inspection. It concludes with a discussion on the forging of advanced aluminum materials and aluminum alloy precision forgings.

A wide range of flow-formed open- and close-ended shapes are currently available in a variety of difficult-to-form materials, including titanium alloys and nickel-base super alloys. This article describes the two basic methods of flow forming that are characterized by the position of the rolls during the forming process. The flow forming methods include staggered-roll flow forming process and in-line flow-forming process. Typical mechanical properties of flow-formed materials in various conditions are summarized in a table. Proper process controls and subsequent product qualification tests are critical to assure optimal performance of the flow-formed tubular component. The article discusses the most commonly required process control parameters and the effects of forming speed and temperature in the flow forming process.

This article discusses several production implementations that use differential pressure countergravity mold filling methods. These include countergravity low-pressure air process, countergravity low-pressure vacuum process, countergravity low-pressure inert atmosphere process, countergravity pressure vacuum process, supported shell technique, loose sand vacuum process, and countergravity centrifugal casting process.

This article provides an explanation on how crystal plasticity is implemented within finite element formulations by the use of physical length scales: crystal scale and continuum scale. It provides theoretical formulations for kinematic framework for deforming crystals and polycrystals, elastic and plastic behaviors of single crystals, refinements to the single-crystal constitutive, and crystal-scale finite-element. The article also presents examples that illustrate the capabilities of the formulations at the length scales.

This article discusses the techniques and applications of synchrotron x-ray diffraction, providing information on x-ray generation, monochromation, and crystallography. X-ray diffraction techniques covered include single-crystal and powder diffraction. Some of the factors involved in the construction and development of macromolecular x-ray crystallography are also described.