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The New Science of Strong Materials: Or Why You Don't Fall Through the Floor
Why isn't wood weaker that it is? Why isn't steel stronger? Why does glass sometimes shatter and sometimes bend like spring? Why do ships break in half? What is a liquid and is treacle one?
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First published July 30, 1975
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2533 people want to read
About the author
J.E. Gordon
15 books70 followersJames Edward Gordon (UK, 1913–1998) was one of the founders of materials science and biomechanics, and a well-known author of three books on structures and materials, which have been translated in many languages and are still widely used in schools and universities.
(wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 1, 2019
It was nice to read this book by J.E. Gordon after reading his first book “Structures”, which was more concerned with how things are built. The new science of strong materials is more concerned with material composition - a mix between materials science and chemistry. I would not consider this book overly technical but rather a 30,000 ft understanding of the subject. For the practicing engineer not involved with complex materials sciences on the day to day this book is great as a refresher of the subject without getting too deep in the weeds.
March 12, 2013
A fascinating introduction to the basics of materials science, which obviously impacts everything around us. It's slightly dated, mentioning things such as the "recently discovered" Kevlar 49, but if you've ever wondered why glass shatters but steel doesn't, what fiberglass is and how it works, or why metals act the way they do, it's a great read.
October 27, 2022
A gentle, playful introduction to materials science (but with math!).
Some things that stuck with me:
- The core of materials science is relating the microscale chemistry and physics (mostly chemistry) with the empirical macro behavior.
- Culturally, engineers historically treated metals as their own world. There are some reasons for this (metals are ductile in ways few other things are) but a unified presentation is illuminating.
- The common way brittle materials (most materials) fail is cracking and the key thing about composites is that they stop cracks because different parts fail differently and that stops the crack.
Some things that stuck with me:
- The core of materials science is relating the microscale chemistry and physics (mostly chemistry) with the empirical macro behavior.
- Culturally, engineers historically treated metals as their own world. There are some reasons for this (metals are ductile in ways few other things are) but a unified presentation is illuminating.
- The common way brittle materials (most materials) fail is cracking and the key thing about composites is that they stop cracks because different parts fail differently and that stops the crack.
April 21, 2024
A good survey of materials science, but a little outdated. I liked the author's other book: "Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down" a lot more.
October 21, 2017
I really enjoyed this one. It was more varied than I would have expected, starting with some really interesting, nitty-gritty details of the chemistry and physics of what leads materials to have the properties they do. From there, it went into a healthy dose of history about how we developed industrial materials, and concluded with a section that's remarkably forward-looking, even today.
If that makes it sound scattered, trust me, it isn't. What it is is a very readable and fascinating book about materials science, written when that subject was just starting to come into its own. Very approachable overall, but not without some really satisfying depth (example: the explanation of why, exactly, composite materials tend to be so much stronger).
If that makes it sound scattered, trust me, it isn't. What it is is a very readable and fascinating book about materials science, written when that subject was just starting to come into its own. Very approachable overall, but not without some really satisfying depth (example: the explanation of why, exactly, composite materials tend to be so much stronger).
June 19, 2020
This book is worth reading for the author’s experiences with different projects in WW2 and observations from the earlier years of flight if nothing else.
January 1, 2022
Professor Gordon is one of the founding fathers of material science. In this quite old book, he laid bare the behaviour of solids at the time when the concept of materials such as dislocations, stress concentrations, crystallization are relatively new.
Some of his predictions are truly achieved with the current technology, however, some are not. Disposable plastics, for example, is a threat to the environment today.
Some of his predictions are truly achieved with the current technology, however, some are not. Disposable plastics, for example, is a threat to the environment today.
December 21, 2021
Professor Gordon died in 1998. In its obituary The Times wrote of him that he was ‘one of the founders of materials science’
Why do things break? Why do materials have any strength at all? Why are some solids stronger than others? Why is steel tough and why is glass brittle? Why does wood split? What do we really mean by ‘strength’ and ‘toughness’ and ‘brittleness’? Are materials as strong as we ought to expect them to be? How far can we improve existing types of materials? Could we make altogether different kinds of materials which would be much stronger? If so, how, and what would they be like? If we really could make better materials then how and where should we make use of them?
Metals, however, do not have a monopoly of strength. Some of the best combinations of lightness and strength are afforded by non-metals and the strongest substances in existence are the recently discovered ‘whisker’ crystals of carbon and of ceramics.
jump backwards and forwards from the ideas of chemistry to those of engineering. In the current phrase materials science is ‘interdisciplinary’.
while we have some idea of ‘how’ materials behave, we have really very little idea of ‘why’
materials receive, transmit and resist their loads
In the past, of course, instinct and experience were the only guides to the choice of materials and to the design of structures and devices.
the smallest particle one can see with the naked eye is about 500,000 atoms across and the smallest particle one can see with the optical microscope is about 2,000 atoms across. With the electron microscope one can see arrays of atoms in crystals, like soldiers on parade, quite easily and with a device called the field emission microscope one can see individual atoms
the wind, blowing where it listeth, pushes on my chimney pots but the chimney pots, bless them, push back at the wind just as hard, and that is why they don’t fall off. All this is merely a restatement of Newton’s third law of motion which says, roughly speaking, that if the status quo is to be maintained then all the forces on an object must cancel each other out.
anthropomorphic
If I stretch out my hand and you put a weight on it such as a pint of beer, then I have to increase the tensions in certain muscles so as to sustain the load.
The atoms in a solid are held together by chemical forces or bonds (see Appendix 1) which may perhaps be thought of as electrical springs since there is nothing ‘solid’ in any crude sense to make any other kind of spring.
The only thing, therefore, which can ‘give’ is the interatomic bond. These bonds or springs vary a good deal in stiffness or springiness (or, as the layman might put it, in ‘strength’)
The standard way of measuring the distance between the atoms in a crystal is to study the way in which an X-ray beam is deflected when it passes through the crystal. This method has been used now for sixty years or more and it is nowadays capable of considerable accuracy. It is found that the atoms in a metal, for instance, move apart or together exactly in proportion to the amount by which the metal as a whole is stretched or compressed.
apt
keel
Stress is simply load per unit area. (pounds per square inch)
stress is proportional to strain and vice versa. So, if an elastic body such as a wire is stretched one inch under a load of 100 pounds it will stretch two inches under 200 pounds and so on, pro rata. This is known as Hooke’s law and is regarded as one of the pillars of engineering.
for small strains the whole process of extension and recovery is reversible and can usually be repeated many thousands or millions of times with identical results; the hairspring of a watch which is coiled and uncoiled 18,000 times each hour is a familiar example. This type of behaviour by solids under loading is called ‘elastic’ and is widespread. Elastic behaviour, which is shown by the majority of engineering materials, contrasts with ‘plastic’ behaviour, shown to the extreme by putty and Plasticine, where the material does not obey Hooke’s law
The Young’s modulus of steel, for example, is about 30,000,000 pounds per square inch.
Steel is about the stiffestreasonably cheap material, which is one of the reasons why it isused so widely.
if the material is at allsoft or ductile like mild steel or copper, it will simply squish outsideways, like Plasticine. If the material is brittle, like stone or glass,it will explode sideways (and very dangerous it can be) into dust andsplinters.
architrave or lintel
Roman arches, such as the aqueducts. The wedgeshaped pieces which make up the arch-ring are called ‘voussoirs’.
auxiliary
modern railway station which is roofed with steel trusses
Why do things break? Why do materials have any strength at all? Why are some solids stronger than others? Why is steel tough and why is glass brittle? Why does wood split? What do we really mean by ‘strength’ and ‘toughness’ and ‘brittleness’? Are materials as strong as we ought to expect them to be? How far can we improve existing types of materials? Could we make altogether different kinds of materials which would be much stronger? If so, how, and what would they be like? If we really could make better materials then how and where should we make use of them?
Metals, however, do not have a monopoly of strength. Some of the best combinations of lightness and strength are afforded by non-metals and the strongest substances in existence are the recently discovered ‘whisker’ crystals of carbon and of ceramics.
jump backwards and forwards from the ideas of chemistry to those of engineering. In the current phrase materials science is ‘interdisciplinary’.
while we have some idea of ‘how’ materials behave, we have really very little idea of ‘why’
materials receive, transmit and resist their loads
In the past, of course, instinct and experience were the only guides to the choice of materials and to the design of structures and devices.
the smallest particle one can see with the naked eye is about 500,000 atoms across and the smallest particle one can see with the optical microscope is about 2,000 atoms across. With the electron microscope one can see arrays of atoms in crystals, like soldiers on parade, quite easily and with a device called the field emission microscope one can see individual atoms
the wind, blowing where it listeth, pushes on my chimney pots but the chimney pots, bless them, push back at the wind just as hard, and that is why they don’t fall off. All this is merely a restatement of Newton’s third law of motion which says, roughly speaking, that if the status quo is to be maintained then all the forces on an object must cancel each other out.
anthropomorphic
If I stretch out my hand and you put a weight on it such as a pint of beer, then I have to increase the tensions in certain muscles so as to sustain the load.
The atoms in a solid are held together by chemical forces or bonds (see Appendix 1) which may perhaps be thought of as electrical springs since there is nothing ‘solid’ in any crude sense to make any other kind of spring.
The only thing, therefore, which can ‘give’ is the interatomic bond. These bonds or springs vary a good deal in stiffness or springiness (or, as the layman might put it, in ‘strength’)
The standard way of measuring the distance between the atoms in a crystal is to study the way in which an X-ray beam is deflected when it passes through the crystal. This method has been used now for sixty years or more and it is nowadays capable of considerable accuracy. It is found that the atoms in a metal, for instance, move apart or together exactly in proportion to the amount by which the metal as a whole is stretched or compressed.
apt
keel
Stress is simply load per unit area. (pounds per square inch)
stress is proportional to strain and vice versa. So, if an elastic body such as a wire is stretched one inch under a load of 100 pounds it will stretch two inches under 200 pounds and so on, pro rata. This is known as Hooke’s law and is regarded as one of the pillars of engineering.
for small strains the whole process of extension and recovery is reversible and can usually be repeated many thousands or millions of times with identical results; the hairspring of a watch which is coiled and uncoiled 18,000 times each hour is a familiar example. This type of behaviour by solids under loading is called ‘elastic’ and is widespread. Elastic behaviour, which is shown by the majority of engineering materials, contrasts with ‘plastic’ behaviour, shown to the extreme by putty and Plasticine, where the material does not obey Hooke’s law
The Young’s modulus of steel, for example, is about 30,000,000 pounds per square inch.
Steel is about the stiffestreasonably cheap material, which is one of the reasons why it isused so widely.
if the material is at allsoft or ductile like mild steel or copper, it will simply squish outsideways, like Plasticine. If the material is brittle, like stone or glass,it will explode sideways (and very dangerous it can be) into dust andsplinters.
architrave or lintel
Roman arches, such as the aqueducts. The wedgeshaped pieces which make up the arch-ring are called ‘voussoirs’.
auxiliary
modern railway station which is roofed with steel trusses
September 20, 2023
Эту книгу стоит читать вместе с другой книгой Джеймса Гордона Конструкции, или почему не ломаются вещи, причем последняя - еще интереснее. Вместе они представляют единственное мне известное популярное введение в такие пугающие рядового человека вещи, как дисциплины "сопротивление материалов" и "материаловедение". Книга великолепна и может быть рекомендована к прочтению абсолютно любому человеку, обладающему хоть малой толикой любопытства к безграничности и красоте бытия.
Профессор Гордон - крупный ученый, представитель блестящей британской инженерной школы. Он был одним из пионеров применения пластиков в авиастроении, много и успешно работал над созданием высокопрочных нитевидных кристаллов-усов. Книга в значительной мере отражает личные взгляды и пристрастия автора, о чем он предупреждает в предисловии. Она субъективна в лучшем смысле этого слова, при чтении книги у специалиста возникает желание спорить с профессором Гордоном по многим вопросам
В английском издании книги имеется краткая биографическая справка, в ней сообщаются сведения об авторе, которые, казалось бы, не имеют непосредственного отношения к делу. В частности, там говорится, что в свободное время Гордон занимается управлением яхтой (это традиционно), фотографией, лыжами и греческим языком (совсем нетрадиционно). Последнее увлечение наложило отпечаток и на предлагаемую книгу: профессор Гордон свободно оперирует знаниями мифологии и античной истории, но главное состоит в том, что за страницами книги виден живой и мыслящий человек с широким кругом идей и интересов. Причем обсуждение чисто специальных вопросов чередуется у него с размышлениями общего характера.
В общем, книга подойдет всем, но начинающим инженерам в особенности.
Профессор Гордон - крупный ученый, представитель блестящей британской инженерной школы. Он был одним из пионеров применения пластиков в авиастроении, много и успешно работал над созданием высокопрочных нитевидных кристаллов-усов. Книга в значительной мере отражает личные взгляды и пристрастия автора, о чем он предупреждает в предисловии. Она субъективна в лучшем смысле этого слова, при чтении книги у специалиста возникает желание спорить с профессором Гордоном по многим вопросам
В английском издании книги имеется краткая биографическая справка, в ней сообщаются сведения об авторе, которые, казалось бы, не имеют непосредственного отношения к делу. В частности, там говорится, что в свободное время Гордон занимается управлением яхтой (это традиционно), фотографией, лыжами и греческим языком (совсем нетрадиционно). Последнее увлечение наложило отпечаток и на предлагаемую книгу: профессор Гордон свободно оперирует знаниями мифологии и античной истории, но главное состоит в том, что за страницами книги виден живой и мыслящий человек с широким кругом идей и интересов. Причем обсуждение чисто специальных вопросов чередуется у него с размышлениями общего характера.
В общем, книга подойдет всем, но начинающим инженерам в особенности.
August 25, 2022
A fascinating book, but it is hard work and took me a while. There were many parts that made a lot of sense immediately, and more than I'd like to admit that went over my head for a while or simply remained beyond my comprehension.
I wouldn't recommend this as light reading or for readers with a non-technical background, as this book routinely and unapologetically uses technical engineering language. If you understand what the words mean then it absolutely adds to the experience, as there are very few metaphors with Gordon tending to address issues directly. Without a technical background, the lay-reader may struggle to make sense of certain concepts or spend forever looking up unfamiliar words or complicated processes.
I particularly appreciated the level of detail around how materials behave on a chemical and atomic level that explains rather well certain mechanical phenomena we see in the work around us.
In all, an excellent book that I'll keep close by in my workplace, as it has excellent descriptions of fundamental issues I face as a mechanical engineer. In particular the early chapters on materials fundamentals such as stress and strain, strength, toughness, and cracks.
I wouldn't recommend this as light reading or for readers with a non-technical background, as this book routinely and unapologetically uses technical engineering language. If you understand what the words mean then it absolutely adds to the experience, as there are very few metaphors with Gordon tending to address issues directly. Without a technical background, the lay-reader may struggle to make sense of certain concepts or spend forever looking up unfamiliar words or complicated processes.
I particularly appreciated the level of detail around how materials behave on a chemical and atomic level that explains rather well certain mechanical phenomena we see in the work around us.
In all, an excellent book that I'll keep close by in my workplace, as it has excellent descriptions of fundamental issues I face as a mechanical engineer. In particular the early chapters on materials fundamentals such as stress and strain, strength, toughness, and cracks.
November 5, 2021
A captivating introduction to material science with captivating examples. I do have to note that this book is definitely not for amateurs or general 'knowledge-seekers. A-levels/high school physics will barely help you scrape past with an intense amount of googling, and only if you have a huge amount of patience.
I guess the most riveting part of the book was the part on energy transfer between a crack and whether it'll propagate where the author elaborated on the exchange of energy between surface energy created and energy required to break bonds. If you're an engineering enthusiast, the book may be for you, but beware that it is more like a textbook more so than not.
I guess the most riveting part of the book was the part on energy transfer between a crack and whether it'll propagate where the author elaborated on the exchange of energy between surface energy created and energy required to break bonds. If you're an engineering enthusiast, the book may be for you, but beware that it is more like a textbook more so than not.
June 7, 2024
This book was a challenging read which certainly requires some prior knowledge of the area. It is also somewhat old which makes some of the references and stories of the book both interesting but also slightly hard to understand for the younger audiences. Whilst this book may not present everything which is now known about materials science, it definitely covers a large range of materials, topics and content in a relatively concise and simple manner. It is definitely a decent read for students of materials science and civil engineering.
May 13, 2025
This book was quite informative, but the author writes as if you already have a solid understanding of what he writes about. I work in the field of solid mechanics, so I was able to understand and appreciate most of this book. There were times that I felt very lost and got disinterested though, like the chapters on wood and iron. I would not recommend this book to someone completely new to the topic of material science or solid mechanics, but it’s a good read for those who do. I give it 3.5/5, but rounded down due to some issues with his writing style and incredibly long sentences.
May 22, 2020
A good if dated read!
The first section is a fascinating introduction to physical processes and as someone who married a metallurgist the final section was great.
However the author's composite background shows in his anti-steel biases a little. The worst impact is that the middle section starts to feel like a catalogue rather than a coherent examination. A victim of his own knowledge.
Overall an excellent read.
The first section is a fascinating introduction to physical processes and as someone who married a metallurgist the final section was great.
However the author's composite background shows in his anti-steel biases a little. The worst impact is that the middle section starts to feel like a catalogue rather than a coherent examination. A victim of his own knowledge.
Overall an excellent read.
December 24, 2017
Gordon has that happy talent of being able to explain arcane technical topics - in this case, materials science - in ways that the everday reader will understand. One of the first popular science texts I read and it remains one of the best.
February 14, 2018
If you want to know all about the physical properties of wood and glass, read this. However, it devotes four pages to steel, and it's likely that steel is what prevents you from falling through the floor.
March 7, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of some of the concepts I learned in my Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering I (MTSE 3000) class. This book is a great introduction to Materials Science and Engineering.
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August 19, 2020J.E Gordon explains concepts in Materials Science to the common reader well. I am impressed at how the book explains materials of various ages, from the stone age to the metal age. J.E Gordon also used graphs and pictures to keep the audience engaged.
December 27, 2023
Interesting discussion of material properties in an intuitive way from the days of old, but Gordon meanders about his comments in such a sleepy way that I was gifted a lovely nap every time I opened this book up
February 17, 2020
Well written in lay man terms the science behind different materials.
April 11, 2020
It is a comprehensive journey through the world of materials presented in a simple manner. I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested in an engineering career.
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April 16, 2020I am really interested in, Everything You write is very good. Thanks.
September 19, 2021
Excellent book. May be difficult for those with little materials exposure but a quick read through the last chapter is arguably worth most people's time.
August 15, 2023
Witty and entertaining, with a tiny sprinkle of maths (not too much!). I absolutely recommend this book for everyone who wants to learn about different kinds of materials used in engineering.
October 8, 2023
A little outdated. Very helpful in understanding material science fundamentals
June 1, 2024
Gates recommended; thought this would be about "new" metamaterials or something, but actually this is a very old book about basic physics principles around stress, strain etc.
June 23, 2025
Love a personal statement book. Really interesting and explained things well. Will never reread.
April 10, 2023
Satisfyingly technical without reading like a textbook.
February 28, 2010
On a personal level I enjoyed reading about resorcinal glue... it took me back to my childhood. Likewise for Casein. The sections about problems w/ aircraft made of wood during the World Wars I found interesting. I learned stuff about biplanes and gliders... like why plants grow inside of their tails -- causing an acceleration of rot and potential falling off in mid-air. I never knew that early steam engines had wood boilers, or that the biggest technical step forward w/ the development of railroads was in the technical advances in the production of steel rails.
There is a little bit of math, not too much of it and it is not overwhelming once you get past the Angstroms. A whole lot about looking at very very small things with electron microscopes. I have always loved Brownian movement (or I mean, since I first encountered it, no, I mean since I first heard of it I have had a particular fondness for Brownian movement, not to be confused with Brown Spots). Gordon had a sense of humor for a heavy engineering/science geek.
There is a little bit of math, not too much of it and it is not overwhelming once you get past the Angstroms. A whole lot about looking at very very small things with electron microscopes. I have always loved Brownian movement (or I mean, since I first encountered it, no, I mean since I first heard of it I have had a particular fondness for Brownian movement, not to be confused with Brown Spots). Gordon had a sense of humor for a heavy engineering/science geek.
July 25, 2015
"Interesting and educational"
I may be a scientist but I haven't done any physics since GCSE's - this book was a little challenging but not impossible. My other half is a material scientist and he read this book the summer before he went to university. It provides a great introduction to the core ideas in material science and some engineering and makes you look at buildings and vehicles very differently. If fact I now understand why things break in so many different ways. The book is written with great humor and I enjoyed the intellectual challenge it presented - it was helpful to have a professional to hand to give a few more details and we had a fairly in-depth discussion about cantilevers (not something I would have expected to able to do before I started reading). This is popular science but with some depth - expect to learn a lot.
I may be a scientist but I haven't done any physics since GCSE's - this book was a little challenging but not impossible. My other half is a material scientist and he read this book the summer before he went to university. It provides a great introduction to the core ideas in material science and some engineering and makes you look at buildings and vehicles very differently. If fact I now understand why things break in so many different ways. The book is written with great humor and I enjoyed the intellectual challenge it presented - it was helpful to have a professional to hand to give a few more details and we had a fairly in-depth discussion about cantilevers (not something I would have expected to able to do before I started reading). This is popular science but with some depth - expect to learn a lot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews