New Materials and Processes. Proceedings : Proceedings of the 5. Scandinavian symposium on materials science, Copenhagen 1989

The theme of the Proceedings of the 5th Scandinavian Symposium on Materials Science was new materials and processes and the ways they provide engineering solutions. Research and development in the area of materials technology has increased in the last decade, and several new types of materials, e.g. ceramics, have come onto the scene.

But the materials are not the end themselves, they must be processed to useful semi-products and eventually to the final product. This involves, besides the fabrication, also the design of materials and products, and modern materials often require an integration of the tailoring of the materials, the design of the component and the technology of fabrication.

In close correlation with this often complicated process from materials to products, the quality control at all stages of the process is important, involving such technologies as non-destructive evaluation methods. An important new field is the tailoring of the surfaces of materials to stand the attack of the environment, e.g. corrosion and wear at high temperatures.

Such surface coated or surface treated materials may form a special type of composite. Contributions in the field of materials and society are included, to emphasise the historical and environmental developments. Materials are traditionally grouped into polymers, metals, ceramics and composites. Materials may also be grouped as structural or functional.

At times the similarities have been emphasized, at other times the materials have been treated individually. This mixture of approaches is perhaps characteristic of materials research and development today; and leads to new ideas and concepts by transferring knowledge from on group of materials to the other. (AB).