The choice of a material for a certain application is made taking into account its properties. If, for example one would like to produce a table, a hard material is needed to guarantee the stability of the product, but the material should not be too hard so that manufacturing is still as easy as possible – in this simple example wood might be the material of choice. When coming to more advanced applications the required properties are becoming more complex and the manufacturer`s desire is to tailor the properties of the material to fit the needs. To let this dream come true, insights into the microstructure of materials is crucial to finally control the properties of the materials because the microstructure determines its properties. Written by leading scientists in the field of microstructural design of engineering materials, this book focuses on the evolution and behavior of granular microstructures of various advanced materials during plastic deformation and treatment at elevated temperatures. These topics provide essential background and practical information for materials scientists, metallurgists and solid state physicists.
