Phase Transformations in Metals and Alloys, Third Edition (Revised Reprint)

An excellent introduction to the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of phase transformations.

To the curious minds of today and tomorrow: The book by Easterling on Phase Transformations has been very well received throughout the world since its publication in the early 1990's (if memory serves me correctly). The book is very accessible conceptually and mathematically as it is an elementary treatment. Yet, it is rigorously written and the important underlying principles are well discussed. I highly recommend it as an introductory textbook. Those interested in learning Phase Transformations may also consider Verhoeven and Reed & Hill --two classical texts on Physical Metallurgy. For more advanced treatments, take a look at the books by Christian, Wayman (Martensitic Transformation) and Khachaturyan (it's the bible of Structural Phase Transformations). Cheers, Dr. Entropy4life ------------------------------------

This is one of those rare gems of a text that delivers information almost every time you look at it. Strongly recommended for students of materials science or researchers who are working with mats. sci. or metallurgy. There are comprehensive sections on nucleation and diffusion, topics that are often mentioned but rarely explained to a sufficient degree. The section on thermodynamics provides enough relevant information to bring home the point that there is more to thermo than "a piston in a chamber with a permeable wall...(etc etc etc)" . It is a particularly useful reference for free energy considerations when examining phase transformations in solids, as the title plainly states! This book should be handed off to students in materials science on principle (but only if they promise to read it).

This is a very comprehensive book on phase transformations from a materials scientist point of view. Without going deeply into the math of the theory of phase transitions, which is repulsively complex, the authors have taken a pragmatic approach using a simple, easy-to-understand and straight forward style. Not much pre-requisite knowledge is required for this book though some background in materials thermodynamics will definitely be helpful. A must for grad-students, professors and practitioners of materials science.

This book is the best for undegraduate or early graduate phase transformations courses. Porter and Easterling start by covering the fundamentals: Basic thermodynamics, Diffusion and crystal interfaces. These three subjects give you the background to understand the rest of the book. They then cover solidificaiton reactions, diffusional solid/solid and diffusionless (martensitic) solid/solid reactions.This book, clearly and concisely, conver all the high points of the subject of phase transformations, and lays the foundation for your sudy of the subjects based on PT's: casting, thermomechanical processing, etc.If you are a material scientist, YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK.