Books by Michael F. (Royal Society Research Professor Emeritus Ashby

Addressing the growing global concern for sustainable engineering, this book explains the ways in which we depend on and use materials and the consequences these have, and it introduces methods for thinking about and designing with materials within the context of minimizing environmental impact.

Taking a design-led approach, this book meets the curriculum needs of a wide variety of courses in the materials and design field, including introduction to materials science and engineering, engineering materials, materials selection and processing, and materials in design.

Understanding materials, their properties and behavior is fundamental to engineering design, and a key application of materials science. Suitable for students of engineering, materials science and design, this book describes the procedures for material selection in mechanical design.

This book, from note materials selection authority Mike Ashby, provides a structure and framework for analyzing sustainable development and the role of materials in it. The aim is to introduce ways of exploring sustainable development to readers in a way that avoids simplistic interpretations and approaches complexity in a systematic way. There is no completely "right" answer to questions of sustainable development - instead, there is a thoughtful, well-researched response that recognizes concerns of stakeholders, the conflicting priorities and the economic, legal and social aspects of a technology as well as its environmental legacy. The intent is not to offer solutions to sustainability challenges but rather to improve the quality of discussion and enable informed, balanced debate.

Materials are the stuff of design. This book explores the role of materials and materials processing in product design, with a particular emphasis on creating desired aesthetics and functionality. It features useful "materials profiles," that gives critical design, processing, performance and applications criteria for each material in question.

Metal foams are at the forefront of technological development for the automotive, aerospace, and other weight-dependent industries. This guide gives information on the advantages metal foams possess, and the applications for which they may prove suitable. It offers a description of metal foams, their manufacture, and their advantages in industry.