The Series in Metallurgy and Materials Science was initiated during the Diamond Jubilee of the Indian Institute of Metals (IIM). In the last decade the progress in the study and development of metallurgy and materials science has been rapid and extensive, giving us a whole new array of materials, with a wide range of applications, and a variety of techniques for both processing and characterising them. This book is the first textbook in the series.

Since the 1920s modern powder metallurgy has been used to produce a wide range of structural Powder Metallurgy (PM) components, self-lubricating bearings and cutting tools. The conventional method involves the production of metal powders, and manufacture of useful objects from such powders by die compaction and sintering. Wrought products are also produced by this route. Powder injection moulding permits the production of stronger, more uniform and more complex PM parts. A detailed discussion of PM materials and products is given in the book.

UNIQUE FEATURES

• Sintering has been elaborated in two chapters—Sintering theory and Sintering technology.
  
• Testing and Quality Control of PM Materials and Products, is not found in many PM books.
  
• Techno-economics of PM processing are also described in detail.
  
• Powder metallurgical aspects of both metallic and ceramic systems are treated equally.
  
• Materials handling at various stages of processing
  
• Pressureless powder shaping
  
• Functionally graded materials
  
• Powder Metallurgy material code
  
• New approach
  - Pyrophoricity and toxicity in Chapter 3
  - Nanostructured materials and the electronic theory of sintering in chapter 7
  
• For powder metallurgical engineers
  - Various kinds of actual testing and quality control methods in Chapter 11
  - ceramics materials in Chapter 12
  - Wide range of practically applied parts in Chapter 13

The book is based on the experience of teaching undergraduate and postgraduate engineering students over several years. It serves as a textbook (both for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in engineering) and also as a handy reference book for engineers in the PM industry. In order to aid and broaden the problem-solving capability of students, worked examples are included in each chapter. In the end of chapter exercises, a variety of questions and problems are included.

Advances in Stainless Steels is the fourth book in the IIM–Universities Press book series on Metallurgy and Materials Science. The book focusses on various facets—processing, component design, properties, fabrication and applications—of the wonder alloy: stainless steel. Stainless steels are a class of versatile alloys, which can be tailored to exhibit a wide range of engineering properties by alloy design and controlled thermomechanical treatments to meet demanding service conditions. Stainless steel production in India is presently about 1.8 million tonnes and accounts for nearly 7% of global tonnage produced. This is likely to show an enormous increase in the near future.

This book covers a broad spectrum of topics spanning the entire life cycle of stainless steel—from alloy design and characterization to engineering design, fabrication, mechanical properties, corrosion, quality assurance of components, in-service performance assessment, life prediction and failure analysis of materials and components. The contents provide useful feedback for further developments aimed at effective utilization of this class of materials. The book comprises articles that bring out contemporary developments in stainless steels and is thematically classified into the following sections.

• Component design, modelling and structural integrity
• Manufacturing technology
• Property evaluation
• Alloy development and applications
• Non-destructive evaluation methods
• Corrosion and surface modification

The articles are of high relevance and interest to manufacturers, fabricators, researchers, designers, suppliers and end users of stainless steel, and serve as a valuable source for everyday reference and also as a guide for providing solutions for challenges connected with alloy design, material selection, melting, processing, fabrication, metallurgy and applications.

The book Convex Optimization Theory provides an insightful, concise and rigorous treatment of the basic theory of convex sets and functions in finite dimensions and the analytical/geometrical foundations of convex optimization and duality theory. The convexity theory is developed first in a simple accessible manner using easily visualized proofs. The focus then shifts to a transparent geometrical line of analysis to develop the fundamental duality between descriptions of convex sets and functions in terms of points and in terms of hyperplanes. Finally, convexity theory and abstract duality are applied to problems of constrained optimization, Fenchel and conic duality and game theory to develop the sharpest possible duality results within a highly visual geometric framework.

The Indian edition of the book alone carries a supplementary chapter containing the most popular convex optimization algorithms and some of the new optimization algorithms otherwise available at http://www.athenasc.com/convexduality.html .

Key features:

• Rigorous and comprehensive development of the theory of convex sets and functions in the classical tradition of Fenchel and Rockafellar
  
• A geometric and highly visual treatment of convex optimization problems including duality, existence of solutions, and optimality conditions
  
• An insightful and comprehensive presentation of minimax theory and zero sum games and its connection with duality
  
• Contains many examples and illustrations in the text
  
• Inclusion of many examples, illustrations, exercises with complete solutions and a supplementary chapter on the most popular convex optimization algorithms
  
• Useable as a standalone text for a theoretically-oriented class on convex analysis and optimization, or as a theoretical supplement to either an applications/convex optimization models class or a nonlinear programming class
  

Data Mining Techniques addresses all the major and latest techniques of data mining and data warehousing. It deals in detail with the latest algorithms for discovering association rules, decision trees, clustering, neural networks and genetic algorithms. The book contains the algorithmic details of different techniques such as A priori, Pincer-search, Dynamic Itemset Counting, FP-Tree growth, SLIQ, SPRINT, BOAT, CART, RainForest, BIRCH, CURE, BUBBLE, ROCK, STIRR, PAM, CLARANS, DBSCAN, GSP, SPADE, SPIRIT, etc. Interesting and recent developments such as Support Vector Machines and Rough Set Theory are also covered in the book. The book also discusses the mining of web data, spatial data, temporal data and text data. This book can serve as a textbook for students of computer science, mathematical science and management science. It can also be an excellent handbook for researchers in the area of data mining and data warehousing.

The revised edition includes a comprehensive chapter on rough set theory. The rough set theory, which is a tool of sets and relations for studying imprecision, vagueness, and uncertainty in data analysis, is a relatively new mathematical and artificial intelligence technique.

The discussion on association rule mining has been extended to include rapid association rule mining (RARM), FP-Tree Growth Algorithm for discovering association rule and the Eclat and dEclat algorithms. These appear in Chapter 4.

The additional topics covered in the second edition are: 1. Computing the average probability of error for constellations having nonequiprobable symbols (Chapter 1). 2. Performance analysis of differential detectors in Rayleigh flat fading channels (Chapter 1). 3.Synchronization techniques for linearly modulated signals (Chapter 4). The additional C programs that are included in the CDROM are: 1. Coherent detection of multidimensional orthogonal constellations in AWGN channels (associated with Chapter 1). 2. Noncoherent detection of multidimensional orthogonal constellations in AWGN channels (associated with Chapter 1). 3. Coherent detection of M-ary constellations in Rayleigh flat fading channels (associated with Chapter 1). 4. Coherent detection of QPSK signals transmitted over AWGN channels. Here, the concepts of pulse shaping, carrier and timing synchronization are involved (associated with Chapter 4). Many new examples have also been added. The book is well suited for a senior undergraduate to a graduate level course in communications theory. The accompanying CD-ROM containing C program on Viterbi algorithm, shell mapping and turbo codes will aid the student in understanding these topics better.

Digital Transmission Hierarchies and Networks is one of the very few books dealing with all the three generations of digital multiplexing hierarchies, namely plesiochronous digital hierarchy (PDH), synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) and optical transport hierarchy (OTH) in a full-fledged manner. Perhaps it is the only book demystifying the complex processes of justification and frame formation in PDH, pointer operations, concatenation and synchronisation in SDH and management overhead structures for digital wrapper and optical channel layers in OTH. The book covers the reliability and survivability aspects of the networks, applications like Ethernet, multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), VoIP over SDH, multi-protocol wavelength switching (MPλS), gigabit MPLS over OTN, passive optical network (PON), GPON and next generation switching network (NGN).

The depth of coverage of topics in the book offers a thorough understanding of digital transmission hierarchies, which students of communications engineering as well as practising engineers and professionals dealing with OFC projects will find useful for the insight it provides on both the practical and the conceptual aspects of networking.