E-Book Overview
The Coming of Materials Science both covers the discipline of materials science, and draws an impressionistic map of the present state of the subject.The first chapter examines the emergence of the materials science concept, in both academe and industry. The second and third chapters delve back into the prehistory of materials science, examining the growth of such concepts as atoms, crystals and thermodynamics, and also examine the evolution of a number of neighbouring disciplines, to see what helpful parallels might emerge. The book contains numerous literature references. Many refer to the earliest key papers and books, while others are to sources, often books, offering a view of the present state of a topic. Early references are to the past but as the book continues, it brings the reader up to date with more recent sources.The author, Professor Robert Cahn FRS, has striven to be critical about the history of the discipline of materials science and to draw general conclusions about scientific practice from what he has discovered about the evolution of materials science. Further issues that the book highlights include: What is a scientific discipline? How do disciplines merge and differentiate? Can a discipline also be interdisciplinary? Is materials science a real discipline? A large range of themes is presented in the book and readers are invited to interact with the author if they reach alternative conclusions. This book is not just for reading and reference, but exists to stimulate thought and provoke discussion as well.
E-Book Content
PERGAMON MATERIALS SERIES VOLUME 5 The Coming of Materials Science PERGAMON MATERIALS SERIES Series Editor: Robert W. Cahn vRs Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK Vol. 1 CALPHAD by N. Saunders and A. P. Miodownik Vol. 2 Non-Equilibrium Processing of Materials edited by C. Suryanarayana Vol. 3 Wettability at High Temperatures by N. Eustathopoulos, M. G. Nicholas and B. Drevet Vol. 4 Structural Biological Materials edited by M. Elices Vol. 5 The Coming of Materials Science by R. W. Cahn Vol. 6 Multinuclear Solid State NMR of Inorganic Materials by K. J. D. Mackenzie and M. E. Smith Vol. 7 Underneath the Bragg Peaks: Structural Analysis of Complex Materials by T. Egami and S. L. J. Billinge Vol. 8 Thermally Activated Mechanisms in Crystal Plasticity by D. Caillard and J.-L. Martin A selection of forthcoming titles in this series." Phase Transformations in Titanium- and Zirconium-Based Alloys by S. Banerjee and P. Mukhopadhyay Nucleation by A. L. Greer and K. F. Kelton Non-Equilibrium Solidification of Metastable Materials from Undercooled Melts by D. M. Herlach and B. Wei The Local Chemical Analysis of Materials by J.-W. Martin Synthesis of Metal Extractants by C. K. Gupta PERGAMON MATERIALS SERIES The Coming of Materials Science by Robert W. Cahn, FRS Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK PERGAMON An Imprint Amsterdam - London - New of Elsevier Science York - Oxford - Paris - Shannon - Tokyo ELSEVIER SCIENCE Ltd The Boulevard, Langford Lane Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK 9 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright by Elsevier Science, and the following terms and conditions apply to its use: Photocopying Single photocopies of single chapters may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the Publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make pho