Abstract

This is the fourth edition of a work which first appeared in 1965. The first edition had approximately one thousand pages in a single volume. This latest volume has almost three thousand pages in 3 volumes which is a fair measure of the pace at which the discipline of physical metallurgy has grown in the intervening 30 years.

Almost all the topics previously treated are still in evidence in this version which is approximately 50% bigger than the previous edition. All the chapters have been either totally rewritten by new authors or thoroughly revised and expanded, either by the third-edition authors alone or jointly with new co-authors. Three chapters on new topics have been added, dealing with dry corrosion, oxidation and protection of metal surfaces; the dislocation theory of the mechanical behavior of intermetallic compounds; and (most novel) a chapter on polymer science for metallurgists, which analyses the conceptual mismatch between metallurgists' and polymer scientists' way of looking at materials. Special care has been taken throughout all chapters to incorporate the latest experimental research results and theoretical insights. Several thousand citations to the research and review literature are included in this edition. There is a very detailed subject index, as well as a comprehensive author index.

The original version of this book has long been regarded as the standard text in physical metallurgy and this thoroughly rewritten and updated version will retain this status.
How does one review The Bible? The editors, R.W. Cahn and P. Haasen, have succeeded in producing the Physical Metallurgy equivalent. This is the third revision of the famous work and it represents a major extension to the previous edition with at least 50% more material crammed into two very substantial volumes. It is really impossible to do justice to the many fine contributions that are collected together here... . This work must surely have wide appeal. No serious academic or research worker in fields connected with physical metallurgy should be without these volumes... .
Contemporary Physics
It will be a very useful source for both graduate students and experienced research workers who require an overview of fields comparatively new to them.
Crystal Research and Technology
Considering the exactness and extent of the contents, this work represents an advanced textbook, and, at the same time, a suitable handbook for University.
Metallic Materials
Physical Metallurgy will become a standard work within its field and can be recommended to everyone active in this area.
Trans Tech S.A.
Manuel Elices Calafat
These classic works are model references. One can imitate them, but not improve them. Rarely has the author of a classic piece of work, the time, energy and imagination to revise and improve it. Robert W. Cahn has managed to do this and has presented us with a new revised and bigger edition of his classic Physical Metallurgy.
Libros, Revista de Metalurgia, Informes de la Construccion