Preface

Over the last decade, there has been substantial development of welding technologies for joining advanced alloys and composites demanded by an evolving global manufacturing sector.

The evolution of these welding technologies has been substantial and finds numerous applications in engineering industries. It is driven by our desire to reverse the impact of climate change and fuel consumption in several vital sectors.

In many engineering situations, residual stresses and dynamic external loads can cause the mechanical components to become unusable at an early stage of work. However, depending on their nature – if "tensile" or "compressive" – and their magnitude, residual stresses can also be beneficial, exemplifying compressive residual stresses acting on thin films, which increase their wear resistance. This book reviews the most recent developments in this field. It is organized into three sections: "Principles of Welding and Joining Technology", "Microstructural Evolution and Residual Stress" and "Applications of Welding and Joining." Chapters in these parts address such topics as stresses in welding, tribology, thin-film metallurgical manufacturing processes, and mechanical manufacturing processes, as well as recent advances in welding and novel applications of these technologies for joining different materials such as titanium, aluminum, and magnesium alloys, ceramics, and plastics.

This book is a practical reference for scholars, engineers, and professionals who require an understanding of welding technologies and residual stresses.

**Dr. Kavian Omar Cooke** 

Associate Professor in Material Science and Engineering, Director of Post Graduate Research Studies, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
