The main goal of these proceedings was to demonstrate the use of a variety of multi-scale approaches, ranging from the atomistic to the macroscopic level, and in this it succeeds admirably.

This useful collection comprises 92 peer-reviewed papers, grouped into nine sections: I Nanostructured Materials; II Solid State Phenomena; III Fine Particles; IV Thin Films; V Materials for Hydrogen Energy Storage; VI Optical Materials; VII Biomaterials; VIII Polymers & Composites; and IX Metallic Systems.

Deformation and annealing phenomena are of great technical significance to the processing and application of materials at the industrial scale. This edited collection of peer-reviewed papers was designed as a one-off vehicle for reviewing the current understanding of the basic mechanisms and processes that control deformation and annealing in various materials, together with their modelling and simulation. Another  aim was to facilitate discussion of the failings of established theories, to explore new ideas, and to identify avenues where future research is required. The present papers apply these concepts to a wide range of materials and applications; from conventional steels and light alloys to nanocrystalline gold wires and geological samples.

Interest in the phenomenon of superplasticity has been increasing steadily over the past thirty-four years, both from the viewpoint of fundamental scientific understanding as well as of industrial application. The scope of superplasticity has also broadened materials-wise, and now includes, in addition to metals: intermetallics, ceramics, bulk metallic glasses, nanostructured materials and composites.

The 3rd Asian Conference on the Heat Treatment of Materials (AHTM’05) provided a forum within which engineers, scientists, researchers and production managers could review and discuss recent progress and emerging topics in the fields of Advanced Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering Technology. General topics, and various R&D efforts related to heat treatment and surface engineering, were also covered at the Conference.

The main focus of this book is the rapidly expanding new field of experimental mechanics, as applied to nano and biotechnology, which is enthusiastically responding to the advances in these technologies and to the increasing need for precise measurements of novel materials and biological tissues. For instance, whereas optical techniques had previously been preferred, particularly in the field of bio-engineering, other mature methods are now being exploited in tandem with the growth in micro- and nano-manufacturing.

This book, which comprises contributions from researchers in 20 countries, was designed to be a forum within which to promote and exchange the latest experimental and theoretical research work on structural integrity, durability and failure analysis; with the emphasis being placed on fracture and damage mechanics.

This volume is dedicated to the science and technology of the semi-solid processing of metals.

Manufacturing can be considered to be the most wide-ranging, interdisciplinary and sometimes-controversial branch of Engineering. It is even sometimes difficult to define it concisely, but everybody recognises its contributions.

The Seventh European Conference on Residual Stresses (ECRS7), was held in Berlin, Germany, on the 13-15th  September 2006.