It is the objective of the series IIMaterials Research and Engineeringll
to publish information on technical facts and pro- cesses together with
specific scientific models and theories. Fundamental considerations
assist in the recognition of the origin of properties and the roots of
processes. By providing a higher level of understanding, such
considerations form the basis for further improving the quality of both
traditional and future engineering materials, as well as the efficiency
of industrial operations. In a more general sense, theory helps to
integrate facts into a framework which ties relations between physical
equilibria and mechanisms on the one hand, product development and
econo- mical competition on the other. Aspects of environmental compati-
bili ty, conservation of resources and of socio-cul tural inter- action
form the final horizon - a subject treated in the first ll volume of
this series, IIMaterials in World Perspective . The four authors of the
present book endeavor to present a comprehensive picture of process
modelling in the important field of metal forming and thermomechanical
treatment. The reader will be introduced to the rapidly-growing new
field of application of computer-aided numerical methods to the quanti-
tative simulation of complex technical processes. Extensive use is made
of the state of scientific knowledge related to materials behavior under
mechanical stress and thermal treat- ment.