The Science and Engineering of Materials (with CD-ROM)

Rating:
Summary: The best intro materials book
Review: Compared to Callister and Ashby, and here's why.

I agree with arthem, that this book doesn't go into enough detail for the person that wants to know "why". But it's not supposed to. It is by no means a chemistry book, so you have to have a SOLID chemistry background/understanding/feeling or you might have a hard time. It takes more of the "cookbook", need-to-know, macroscopic approach, whereas Callister is more of the theory. My first materials course used the Askeland book, and the third used Callister, and I found it effective to get the overview, then go into the "why" details later. My TA's and Prof's hated Askeland's style, but I don't think they appreciated what it brought to the table....understanding. Understand the concept (i.e. more carbon makes steel stronger), then learn why.

Either of them are better than Ashby. I'd write a review on Ashby's books, but that means to be fair I'd have to dig them out, and I'm hoping rats ate them. Too bad too, my profs were rather fond of Ashby.

I have to reserve a star for this book, because with a little more info it would be that much better. That, and I remember as a student, the problems were tough, tougher than the text prepared you for.

Which reminds me, my exam questions frequently came out of this text in subsequent classes. Ironic since the prof's hated this book. hmm.

Rating:
Summary: The best intro materials book
Review: Compared to Callister and Ashby, and here's why.

I agree with arthem, that this book doesn't go into enough detail for the person that wants to know "why". But it's not supposed to. It is by no means a chemistry book, so you have to have a SOLID chemistry background/understanding/feeling or you might have a hard time. It takes more of the "cookbook", need-to-know, macroscopic approach, whereas Callister is more of the theory. My first materials course used the Askeland book, and the third used Callister, and I found it effective to get the overview, then go into the "why" details later. My TA's and Prof's hated Askeland's style, but I don't think they appreciated what it brought to the table....understanding. Understand the concept (i.e. more carbon makes steel stronger), then learn why.

Either of them are better than Ashby. I'd write a review on Ashby's books, but that means to be fair I'd have to dig them out, and I'm hoping rats ate them. Too bad too, my profs were rather fond of Ashby.

I have to reserve a star for this book, because with a little more info it would be that much better. That, and I remember as a student, the problems were tough, tougher than the text prepared you for.

Which reminds me, my exam questions frequently came out of this text in subsequent classes. Ironic since the prof's hated this book. hmm.

Rating:
Summary: An awful text book
Review: I just completed a course in materials science using the 4th edition and have been appalled by the poor quality of the book (spiffy cover artwork aside).

The book is full of generalizations that impart no significant understanding of the topics treated. Commonly, the book will simply assert that X causes Y without any physical justification as to WHY. Illustratively, when the book touches upon atomic structure, it uses a figure depicting the Bohr model of the atom without any reference to this being a simplification, nor any reference to the "actual" character of atomic orbitals.

Additionally, the book is rife with poorly worded problems which are accompanied by answers that seeminly have no correspondence to their respective problems. I did not do a single problem set from the book without finding at least one problem where the answer was just plain wrong. A particularly amusing instance was the assignment of units of area to a dimensionless answer (and NO, the quantity wasn't right, either).

STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS BOOK.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book for a general introduction to materials
Review: The book contains all the information you need to know on materials. Information is provided in a well-organized format that readers will understand the materials structure, processing and property relationships. Although the book tend to focus on mostly metal-alloy, polymers, ceramics, composite and electronics materials were also included. The book is very good reference book for anybody who are involved with materials.

Rating:
Summary: An awful text book
Review: The primary feature of Askeland's text is in the speed with which its sections can be read. Unfortunately, this is due to the lack of necessary detail. Difficult concepts are often glossed over, while simpler topics receive undue attention. The example problems don't seem as relevant as they might be, and certainly bear more strongly on the author's skills than on the student's.

I may be unfairly comparing this book with Callister's "Materials Science and Engineering," but given the choice of either as a reference source, I would hesitate to choose Askeland. If you are stuck with the Askeland text for a course, but really need to understand material behavior, then invest in the Callister book as a backup - it will greatly enhance your understanding.

Rating:
Summary: Obtuse and too often scanty
Review: The primary feature of Askeland's text is in the speed with which its sections can be read. Unfortunately, this is due to the lack of necessary detail. Difficult concepts are often glossed over, while simpler topics receive undue attention. The example problems don't seem as relevant as they might be, and certainly bear more strongly on the author's skills than on the student's.

I may be unfairly comparing this book with Callister's "Materials Science and Engineering," but given the choice of either as a reference source, I would hesitate to choose Askeland. If you are stuck with the Askeland text for a course, but really need to understand material behavior, then invest in the Callister book as a backup - it will greatly enhance your understanding.

Rating:
Summary: Difficult to Understand
Review: The text starts with an introduction to crystal structures that is needlessly complicated and do not give the student any sort of explanation as to how crystal structures relate to the topics dicussed later in the text. The questions at the end of each chapter are considerably more difficult than the sample problems in the chapter, making it very tough to learn from if the student is trying to learn solely from the book. Orange highlights are hard to read.

Rating:
Summary: Vague
Review: This book covers the brosd spectrum of material science one would expect from an intro level materials class. The book is not valuable as a reference because it has a poor index. The chapter review questions on design are very vague and open ended. If you are looking for a reference book, look elswhere. If you need this for a class then I hope you have a good teacher.

Rating:
Summary: An incomplete volume
Review: This book offers just enough information to cripple a student. Descriptions of lattice structures contained scant information on any structure other than Face-Centered Cubic structures or Base-Centered Cubic structures. The book did not provide adequate reasoning behind the formation of Diamond centered cubic structures, of importance when dealing with ceramic materials. Ambiguous explanation of the Hexagonal close packed structure lead to difficulty understanding what effects stucture causes.

I viewed a previous edition of this textbook, under a different author, and found diagrams showing full crystal structures instead of single unit cells. I should find the diagrams I need for this in my materials book, I do not understand why they were not included.

The examples used seem silly, such as asking the reader what materials should be used on the space shuttle. At the point in the book the questions are asked, one can only assume the reader has no idea unless they watched a space shuttle documentary or read about the subject themselves. They will be able to provide requirements of the materials, but spitting out names at the reader without delving into the why of the materials selection does the reader great harm. The book does not connect neccessary pieces, nor provide a "big picture" view of some important subjects in the text. Emphasis is on memorization, not on true understanding.



Rating:
Summary: Still searching for answers
Review: This text is written in a reasonably straight forward style that simplifies understanding some of the concepts explained. I especially enjoyed the chapters on solidification strengthening and polymers.

I did have a difficult time finding specific subjects using the index. Compared to the volume of subject matter the index is very small, with typically only 1 referenced page per item. There are several subjects that are explained several different ways, but to find each explanation requires searching through the chapters. this make the book less useful for reading desired material.

In general this is an acceptable text book and would be useful for introductory materials classes.