Beryllium-related lung diseases were first reported in the 1930s, several years after the emergence of beryllium metals in manufactured products. Since then, there have been numerous studies around the world and continued refinement of recommendations and safety standards. This chapter provides a summary of the studies that have been conducted along with the findings. It discusses the effects of acute and chronic exposure, toxicity levels, potential sources and risks, treatment, and protective and preventive measures.

This chapter explains how to safely prepare beryllium alloy samples for metallographic analysis. It describes grinding, polishing, and etching procedures in detail. It also discusses the identification of major and minor constituents and the general appearance of beryllium microstructure.

The case for using stainless steel in appliances of all types, whether they are commercial or residential, relates to it being able to provide the best value over the intended service life. This chapter describes some of the qualities in any material considered for food contact, namely chemical neutrality, biological neutrality, and cleanliness. A vast majority of stainless steel applications in commercial and residential equipment are also discussed.

This chapter contains sample problems with worked solutions pertaining to the application of corrosion inhibitors. Correct answers require an understanding of potentiodynamic polarization scan (PDS) curves, the determination of corrosion current and inhibitor efficiency, and the development of a test plan to evaluate the long-term corrosion protection of a potential inhibitor.

This chapter discusses the important role of metallography and the metallographer in predicting and understanding the properties of metals and alloys. Examples are presented of a metallographer working as part of a team in a research laboratory of a large steel company and a metallographer working alone at a small iron foundry. The three basic areas in all metallography laboratories are discussed: the specimen preparation area, the polishing/etching area, and the observation/micrography area. Important safety issues in a metallographic laboratory are also considered.

This chapter explains how to prepare metallographic samples for light microscopy and how to anticipate and avoid related problems. It describes standard practices and procedures for sectioning, mounting, grinding, and polishing and identifies common defects along with their causes and cures. It also provides recommendations for handling specific materials and addresses safety concerns.

This chapter covers the engineering aspects of corrosion inhibitors and their effect on corrosion reactions. It explains how different metallic salts and heterocyclic compounds influence chemical reactions on metal surfaces exposed to corrosive media or environments. It describes how to evaluate inhibition efficiency through weight loss measurements, linear polarization resistance tests, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electrochemical noise monitoring, and surface analysis. It demonstrates the use of potentiodynamic polarization curves, Tafel extrapolations, equivalent circuit models, and various methods for characterizing corrosion damage and protective surface films. It also discusses typical applications, industry trends, and the emerging role of high-throughput experimentation, quantitative modeling, and machine learning in the development of cleaner and more effective corrosion inhibitors.

The basic concept for most methods of corrosion protection is to remove one or more of the electrochemical cell components so that the pure metal or metal alloy of interest will not corrode. Another widely used corrosion protection approach is to change the nature of the anode so that it becomes the cathode (cathodic protection). This chapter briefly reviews these methods of corrosion protection. The factors affecting corrosion behavior are covered. In addition, the chapter provides information on coatings and inhibitors, which are used in corrosion protection.

The analysis of composite materials using optical microscopy is a process that can be made easy and efficient with only a few contrast methods and preparation techniques. This chapter is intended to provide information that will help an investigator select the appropriate microscopy technique for the specific analysis objectives with a given composite material. The chapter opens with a discussion of macrophotography and microscope alignment, and then goes on to describe various illumination techniques that are useful for specific analysis requirements. These techniques include bright-field illumination, dark-field illumination, polarized-light microscopy, interference and contrast microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy. The chapter also provides a discussion of sample preparation materials such as dyes, etchants, and stains for the analysis of composite materials using optical microscopy.

This chapter focuses on gas carburizing. It includes a history of carburizing and explains the objectives of the carburizing process. The chapter discusses atmospheres, sources of carbon, reactions in the gas carburizing process, and effects of process variables such as temperature and time. Furnaces for gas carburizing are described and potential microstructure problems are introduced.

This article describes the basic approaches to improving the fire resistance of a polymeric material, considers the burning process on a microscale and macroscale, and discusses various test methods for determining the flammability characteristics of polymeric materials. Test methods are classified in two ways: by fire response characteristics and by particular applications of polymeric materials.

This chapter discusses the structural classifications, molecular configuration, degradation, properties, and uses of polymers. It describes thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers, degree of polymerization, branching, cross-linking, and copolymers. It also discusses glass transition temperatures, additives, and the effect of stretching on thermoplastics.

Nonferrous metals are of commercial interest both as engineering materials and as alloying agents. This chapter addresses both roles, discussing the properties, processing characteristics, and applications of several categories of nonferrous metals, including light metals, corrosion-resistance alloys, superalloys, refractory metals, low-melting-point metals, reactive metals, precious metals, rare earth metals, and metalloids or semimetals. It also provides a brief summary on special-purpose materials, including uranium, vanadium, magnetic alloys, and thermocouple materials.

This chapter discusses furnace atmospheres. It describes how furnace atmospheres protect metals, transfer heat, and supply alloying elements (carbon and nitrogen). The chapter focuses on the different types of atmospheres that are available to the heat treater: combustion products, air, exothermic, salt, nitrogen, endothermic, ammonia, hydrogen, inert gas, and vacuum.

This chapter describes the process steps in the production of smelter grade aluminum, the environmental issues with aluminum production, and the importance of recycling. It also provides a discussion on the refining, or Bayer, process and the smelting, or Hall-Héroult, process.

This chapter discusses the compositions, properties, and applications of nonferrous metals, including zirconium, hafnium, beryllium, lead, tin, gold, silver, and platinum group metals. It also addresses fusible alloys and provides melting temperatures for several compositions.

This chapter discusses the functions of surface treatments important for stainless steel, namely the removal of oxide scale and cleaning, brightening, and coloring of the stainless surface. Details on the main methods of producing aesthetic surface finishes are also provided.

Engineers have many materials to choose from when dealing with weight-related design constraints. The list includes aluminum, beryllium, magnesium, and titanium alloys as well as engineering plastics, structural ceramics, and polymer-, metal-, and ceramic-matrix composites. This chapter provides a brief overview of these lightweight materials, discussing their primary advantages along with their properties, behaviors, and limitations.

Adhesive bonding is a widely used industrial joining process in which a polymeric material is used to join two separate pieces (the adherends or substrates). This chapter begins with a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of adhesive bonding, followed by a section providing information on the theory of adhesion. The chapter then describes the considerations for designing adhesively bonded joints and for testing or characterizing adhesive materials. The following section covers the characteristics of the most important synthetic adhesive systems and five groups of adhesives, namely structural, hot melt, pressure sensitive, water based, and ultraviolet and electron beam cured. The chapter ends with a discussion on some general guidelines for adhesive bonding and the basic steps in the adhesive bonding process.