Edited by C. J. Humphreys, Maney Publishing, London, 2002.
ISBN 1-90653-58-0.
Reviewed by: Prof. Antun Tonejc, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Zagreb, Croatia
Published in Mocrpscopy & Analysis, May 2003
If you would like to know, first hand, how the hunt for dislocations ended and what impact on the field of mechanical properties this event had, you should read this book. Colin Humphreys has brought together the most distinguished of Sir Peter Hirsch’s former students and colleagues to write the chapters of this festschrift. Sir Peter, together with R. W. Horne and M. J. Whelan, was the first to observe, in 1956, with the aid of a transmission electron microscopy, the dislocations in materials and their movements. Why was this event so important? The dislocations directly and strongly affect the mechanical properties.
Although the events are focused on metals and alloys, the instances given are important for all those working on materials science, as the book offers a concrete understanding of phenomena.
The title of the book is not misleading. After you’ve read it you really will have the impression that you now better understand the mechanical properties of materials and the role of dislocations. However, do not underestimate the title of the book. It not only comprises mechanical properties of materials with dislocation as the most important factor, but also the importance of electron microscopy and later high-resolution electron microscopy in the development of our understanding of materials. People working with EM will find a lot of information on EM practice which is not easily found elsewhere, thus giving the book a big plus.
The book has 343 pages and is written in an accessible language, easily absorbed even by non-specialists. The micrographs are exceptional and the explanations concise. However, I am convinced also that experts will enjoy reading the book because all the chapters are written at the highest scientific level with the latest results and references.
In the three first chapters the book leads the reader on an interesting journey before, during and after dislocations and their movements were for the first time seen by TEM. The next three chapters present a detailed review of the most important techniques in modern EM applied to the characterization of defects (a retrospective of weak-beam method, convergent-beam electron diffraction, and high-resolution EM). The figures are well chosen and the contents are of the highest educative and scientific value.
In chapters 7 and 8 the cross-slip problem and the problem of the prediction of fracture toughness is revisited with the latest ideas on these topics. A comprehensive review of the Frank-Read dislocation sources and of the plastic behaviour of bcc metals and alloys is found in the following two chapters. The application of the dislocation theory to the plastic deformation on ceramics oxides, silicon carbide and Sialon ceramics with the recent developments are found in chapters 11, 12 and 13. In chapter 14, particle hardening is briefly reviewed while the role of defects in nuclear technology is explained in chapter 15.
The book ends with a chapter written by the Editor on designing modern materials, with Peter Hirsch’s curriculum vitae and an impressive list of his 283 publications.Overall the book is very helpful due to its practical and theoretical references and it could be a standard for the beginner as well for the scientists who are already familiar with the importance of dislocation for mechanical properties of materials and with the different techniques in modern electron microscopy. It is the only book I know covering the period from the first-ever seen dislocation event up to the present and the impact of this occurrence on the field of mechanical properties and the development of electron microscopy investigation of the lattice defects.
I would recommend the book to undergraduates as well as to experts in the field. It is an outstanding book. I really enjoyed reading it and I am sure that many readers will agree with me.