Considerations of Temperature in the Service and Behaviour of Materials

Abstract

This chapter is entirely dedicated to the behaviour of materials at different temperatures both high and low. In the case of polymers, they seem limited to low-temperature applications, whilst ceramic materials can be used in a wide range of temperatures, but they have special interest in high-temperature applications as a result of their properties. In the case of the metals, we can define three temperatures: the melting point; the $T_{\text{M}} /2$, related with creep problems; and the DBTT (ductile–brittle transition temperature), which is related to the behaviour of materials at low temperatures.