Metal Science in Modern Manufacturing Technologies

This book explores the relationship between material composition, processing technologies, resulting microstructure, and product performance. While this cross-correlation is widely cited in literature and online, a comprehensive understanding that encompasses all scientific aspects is often lacking among material specialists in various industrial fields and academic scholars.

The book aims to enhance theoretical knowledge about the physical laws governing metal fabrication, microstructure development, and the achievable properties of products. Such knowledge can help resolve many technical issues faced by industrial experts and facilitate material selection and property definition for researchers and students of advanced academic courses.

The approach adopted in this book focuses on the phenomena affecting metals and alloys during manufacturing operations and how to control these phenomena to improve workability and fine-tune the final properties of parts. The perspective is primarily on the material side, with metalworking technologies discussed as case studies to support this viewpoint.

The author combines experimental results and theoretical concepts to elucidate the general scientific principles impacting metalworking operations, emphasizing aspects often overlooked by industry specialists. The first two chapters, on solidification and plastic deformation, provide the theoretical background necessary to understand metallurgical principles in processes like casting and hot forging. Subsequent chapters on welding, powder metallurgy, additive manufacturing, and subtractive manufacturing focus on these processes and offer specific information about the evolution of material microstructure and properties.

Maurizio Vedani is a full professor of Metallurgy and head of the Materials Section at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Politecnico di Milano. The main subjects of his scientific activity concern research on microstructure and mechanical behaviour during manufacturing and service of metals and metallic alloys, ranging from structural steels to non-ferrous alloys such as aluminium alloys, titanium, and magnesium alloys. Specific subjects of his research of activity in recent years are degradable Magnesium and Zinc alloys for biomedical applications, novel alloys for additive manufacturing and multi-materials produces by the same techniques. These research topics result in more than 250 papers published since 1989. Various industrial and fundamental research projects were led by Prof. Vedani, funded by Italian public institutions, by the European Union, by private companies.