Plastics Engineering (4^th Ed.)

Plastics Engineering, Fourth Edition, presents basic essentials on the properties and processing behaviour of plastics and composites. The book gives engineers and technologists a sound understanding of basic principles without the introduction of unduly complex levels of mathematics or chemistry. Early chapters discuss the types of plastics currently available and describe how designers select a plastic for a particular application. Later chapters guide the reader through the mechanical behaviour of materials, along with a detailed analysis of their major processing techniques and principles. All techniques are illustrated with numerous worked examples within each chapter, with further problems provided at the end.This updated edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect major changes in plastic materials and their processing techniques that have occurred since the previous edition. The plastics and processing techniques addressed within the book have been comprehensively updated to reflect current materials and technologies, with new worked examples and problems also included.

1. General Properties of Plastics
2. Mechanical Behaviour of Plastics
3. Mechanical Behaviour of Composites
4. Processing of Plastics
5. Analysis of Polymer Melt Flow

Appendix
A. Structure of Plastics
B. Solution of Differential Equations
C. Stress/Strain Relationships
D. Stresses in Cylindrical Shapes
E. Introduction to Matrix Algebra
F. Abbreviations for some Common Polymers

Roy J. Crawford was Vice Chancellor of the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Prior to this he was Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. At Queen’s University, Professor. Crawford was responsible for establishing the Polymer Processing Research Centre which included the Research Group on rotational moulding of plastics, which he also founded. In 1998, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and in 2005 was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Plastics Engineers. In the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, Prof. Crawford was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to tertiary education. Prof. Crawford sadly passed away in 2016.
Peter J. Martin is a Reader in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast and he is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Dr Martin is the current Director of the Polymer Processing Research Centre. Dr Martin's primary research interests are in advanced polymer materials and processing. Dr. Martin has published numerous papers and articles in the area of plastics engineering.