Functionally Gradient Materials
- PDF / 3,738,175 Bytes
- 5 Pages / 576 x 777.6 pts Page_size
- 93 Downloads / 355 Views
14
which are perhaps less obvious, and which will only become apparent as the field of FGMs grows further and the overall FGM concept becomes more widely accepted. Examples include electronic materials and devices, optical thin films, biomaterials, and antiwear or anticorrosion coatings, among others. It may be that successful technologies will be contingent upon our ability to exploit gradient materials in new and innovative ways. Research on gradient materials around the world increased rapidly after the First International Symposium on Functionally Gradient Materials was held in Sendai, Japan in August 1990. The Second International Symposium was held in conjunction with the Pacific Coast Regional Meeting of the American Ceramic Society in San Francisco November 1-4, 1993. The Third International Symposium was recently held October 10-12, 1994 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Conference activities and international dialogue are organized and coordinated by the International Advisory Committee on FGMs, originally established in Japan and now including 27 members representing eight countries. In addition to the international symposia, there has been an overall marked increase in coverage of the topic with dedicated sessions taking place at most national materials meetings. There are several important areas being addressed in gradient materials research. In this issue, we have aimed to provide the reader with a balance of coverage on design, fabrication, and characterization issues, while trying to also represent the international character of the FGM community. Unfortunately, due to space limitations, we have not been able to adequately cover all of the significant research and development activities within this broad, interdisciplinary subject. Since some of the research and development take place outside of the existing FGM community, there is considerably more activity and diversity in the field than is represented here. We must remember that gradients are the fundamental driving force for many natural phenomena, and that their study has and
will continue to represent one of the major endeavors of physical science. Much of the recent attention on FGMs has been generated out of interest in results obtained by Japanese researchers. The Japanese initiated a national research program in 1987 and continue to pioneer new applications for graded structures, as well as to demonstrate fabrication of larger sized and complexly shaped test pieces. These efforts are described in more detail in this issue in the article by Koizumi and Niino. The technical scope of the research program is impressive, and the effective coordination between government, industry, and academic institutions has played a key role in the project's success. In contrast, European research has tended to occur without the direction of a coordinated program and is typically more application-oriented. The review article by Kaysser and Ilschner provides numerous examples of the diverse research and development activities in Europe involving implementation of g
Data Loading...
