This chapter outlines the topics covered in the book and explains why and to whom the book was written. The book is intended for engineers, metallurgists, and failure analysts who work with materials and components that operate in high-temperature corrosive environments. It covers eight basic modes of high-temperature corrosion as well as the effect of external and residual stresses. It also provides an extensive amount of engineering data associated primarily with commercial alloys.

This article examines the composition and properties of magnesium and its alloys. It discusses alloy and temper designations, applications and product forms, and commercial alloy systems, and explains how alloying elements affect physical and mechanical properties, processing characteristics, and corrosion behaviors.

This article discusses the production, properties, and uses of high-alloy white irons. It explains how the composition and melt are controlled to produce a large volume of eutectic carbides, making these irons particularly hard and resistant to wear, and how the metallic matrix supporting the carbide phase can be adjusted via alloy content and heat treatment to optimize the balance between abrasion resistance and impact toughness. It also describes the effect of alloying elements and inoculants on various properties and behaviors and provides information on commercial alloy grades and applications.

This chapter provides a general overview of titanium and its versatility as an engineering material.

Containment materials used in power generating applications are subject to molten salt corrosion. This chapter reviews the data relevant to corrosion problems in molten salt environments. It describes the corrosion behavior of steel, aluminum, nickel, and titanium alloys in molten chlorides, molten nitrates, molten fluorides, molten carbonates, and molten sodium hydroxide.