This is the first book in a new series - "Materials Research and Engineering" - devoted to the science and technology of materials. "Materials Research and Engineering" evolves from a previous series on "Reine und Angewand te Metallkunde" ("Pure and Applied Metallurgy"), which was edited by Werner Koster until his eightieth birthday in 1976. Although the present series is an outgrowth of the earlier one, it should not and cannot be regarded as a continuation. There had to be a shift of scope - and a change in presentation as well. Metallurgy is no longer an isolated art and science. Rather, it is linked by its scientific basis and tech nological implications to non-metallic and composite materials, as well as to processes for production, refining, shaping, surface treatment, and appli cation. Thus, the new series, "Materials Research and Engineering", will present up-to-date information on scientific and technological progress, as well as on issues of general relevance within the engineering field and industrial society. Premiering the new series, the present book by Dieter Altenpohl gives the reader a very general outlook, in fact, a position analysis of materials and the materials industry within the framework of our contemporary technological environment. It ventures, moreover, to forecast the changes affecting this pattern in a dynamic, interdependent world. This may be an unusual way to start a scientific series - it is believed, nevertheless, to be an appropriate one.

Inhalt
I Role of Materials in the World Economy.- 1 Materials and Man's Needs.- 2 Definition of Involved Materials.- 3 Setting the Stage.- II Present Structure and Future Trends in Key Materials Industries.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Iron and Steel.- 3 Aluminium.- 4 Copper.- 5 Cement and Concrete.- 6 Plastics.- 7 Wood and Wood Products.- 8 Advanced Materials.- 9 Where are the Basic Materials Industries Heading?.- III Technology Planning as Part of Industry's Planning Process.- 1 Why Technology Planning?.- 2 Technology Assessment as a Main Element of Technology Planning.- 3 Main Criteria and Sequence of Technology Planning.- 4 Technology Planning Using an Aluminium Producer as an Example.- 5 Importance of Technology Planning for the Materials Industry.- IV Key Issues for Technology Planning and Assessment.- 1 National Materials Policies versus Market Forces.- 2 Energy as a Critical Constraint.- 3 Energy Accounting of Materials.- 4 Substitution and Conservation of Materials.- 5 Materials and the Automobile Industry.- 6 Materials in Packaging.- V Research and Development Opportunities.- 1 Exploration and Discovery.- 2 Mining and Extraction.- 3 Mineral Processing.- 4 Manufacturing Processing.- 5 Materials Design.- 6 Production and Product Design.- VI Outlook.- 1 Resources for the Materials Industry.- 2 Materials and Ecology.- 3 Materials and Energy.- 4 Sophisticated Use of Materials.- 5 An Integrated Approach.- 6 Trends and Issues.- Co-author and Contributors.- Acknowledgements.- The Author.