Materials are the stuff of design. From the very beginning of human
history, materials have been taken from the natural world and shaped,
modified, and adapted for everything from primitive tools to modern
electronics. This renowned book by noted materials engineering author
Mike Ashby and industrial designer Kara Johnson explores the role of
materials and materials processing in product design, with a particular
emphasis on creating both desired aesthetics and functionality. The new
edition features even more of the highly useful "materials profiles"
that give critical design, processing, performance and applications
criteria for each material in question. The reader will find information
ranging from the generic and commercial names of each material, its
physical and mechanical properties, its chemical properties, its common
uses, how it is typically made and processed, and even its average
price. And with improved photographs and drawings, the reader is taken
even more closely to the way real design is done by real designers,
selecting the optimum materials for a successful product.