The Materials Book

This book is the definitive reference source for professionals involved in the conception, design and specification stages of a construction project. The theory and practical aspects of each material is covered, with an emphasis being placed on properties and appropriate use, enabling broader, deeper understanding of each material leading to greater confidence in their application. Containing fifty chapters written by subject specialists, Construction Materials Reference Book covers the wide range of materials that are encountered in the construction process, from traditional materials such as stone through masonry and steel to advanced plastics and composites. With increased significance being placed on broader environmental issues, issues of whole life cost and sustainability are covered, along with health and safety aspects of both use and installation.

This book provides a self-contained undergraduate course on quantum computing based on classroom-tested lecture notes. It reviews the fundamentals of quantum mechanics from the double-slit experiment to entanglement, before progressing to the basics of qubits, quantum gates, quantum circuits, quantum key distribution, and some of the famous quantum algorithms. As well as covering quantum gates in depth, it also describes promising platforms for their physical implementation, along with error correction, and topological quantum computing. With quantum computing expanding rapidly in the private sector, understanding quantum computing has never been so important for graduates entering the workplace or PhD programs. Assuming minimal background knowledge, this book is highly accessible, with rigorous step-by-step explanations of the principles behind quantum computation, further reading, and end-of-chapter exercises, ensuring that undergraduate students in physics and engineering emerge well prepared for the future.

Until recently, much of the development of building materials has predominantly focused on producing cheaper, stronger and more durable construction materials. More recently attention has been given to the environmental issues in manufacturing, using, disposing and recycling of construction materials. Sustainability of construction materials brings together a wealth of recent research on the subject.The first part of the book gives a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the sustainability of the following building materials: aggregates; timber, wood and bamboo; vegetable fibres; masonry; cement, concrete and cement replacement materials; metals and alloys; glass; and engineered wood products. A final group of chapters cover the use of waste tyre rubber in civil engineering works, the durability of sustainable construction materials and nanotechnologies for sustainable construction.With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Sustainability of construction materials is a standard reference for anyone involved in the construction and civil engineering industries with an interest in the highly important topic of sustainability. Provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the sustainability of a variety of construction materials ranging from wood and bamboo to cement and concrete Assesses the durability of sustainable construction materials including the utilisation of waste tyre rubber and vegetable fibres Collates a wealth of recent research including relevant case studies as well as an investigation into future trends

An eye-opening adventure deep inside the everyday materials that surround us, from concrete and steel to denim and chocolate, packed with surprising stories and fascinating science.

How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living. This book explores the costs of this dependence and the potential for substantial dematerialization of modern economies. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history, from wood and stone, through to metals, alloys, plastics and silicon, describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications. The evolving productivities of material extraction, processing, synthesis, finishing and distribution, and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail. The book concludes with an outlook for the future, discussing the prospects for dematerialization and potential constrains on materials. This interdisciplinary text provides useful perspectives for readers with backgrounds including resource economics, environmental studies, energy analysis, mineral geology, industrial organization, manufacturing and material science.

The second volume in the author’s three-part series, Properties of Materials uses the principles of classical mechanics to qualitatively and quantitatively model specific features of matter. The text develops linear models of elasticity to correlate and quantify the changes in an object’s shape induced by the application of a constant force. It describes quiescent and flowing liquids and gases and examines the behavior of oscillating systems subjected to time-dependent external applied forces. The author employs linear superposition to analyze the combined effects of two or more waves simultaneously present in a medium, such as standing waves, beating, interference, and diffraction. The book considers acoustics, including the production, propagation, and perception of sound, as well as optics, including the laws of reflection and refraction. It also treats temperature, heat, and thermometry before applying the laws of thermodynamics to ideal gas systems. Throughout the investigations of particular phenomena, the author emphasizes the modeling of composite systems assembled from simple constituents. This text extends the rigorous calculus-based introduction to classical physics begun in his Elements of Mechanics. With more than 300 problems, it can serve as a primary textbook in an introductory physics course, as a student supplement, or as an exam review for graduate or professional studies. Solutions manual available upon qualifying course adoption View the author’s related textbooks Elements of Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism. Read reviews of Elements of Mechanics.