This course text provides a practical hands-on introduction to the essentials of kinetics, thermodynamics and microstructure modelling of materials. The first part of the book introduces the concept of thermodynamics in relation to the formation of metal alloys and how to construct equilibrium phase diagrams. The second part builds on this knowledge to couple thermodynamics with material transport kinetics to generate predictive models for the formation and change of material microstructures over time.


The book provides concise practical descriptions of kinetics and microstructure modelling, condensing the essential information into an engaging and accessible text. Class tested by graduate students, the book includes worked examples throughout and is supplemented with phase diagram calculation software to aid learning.


This book is ideal as a practical course for final year undergraduates and masters students in materials science and engineering, and is a core text for courses on thermodynamics, phase diagrams, kinetics and microstructure modelling.


Key Features:

• Covers the essentials of kinetics, thermodynamics and microstructure modelling of materials in a concise text for advanced students
• Quantifies how key microstructural features can evolve over time and explains why this is important
• Defines the main energetic contributions, both physically and mathematically, and explains how they can be used to calculate equilibrium phase diagrams
• Includes worked examples throughout
• Supplemented by phase diagram calculation software to aid learning