In recent years various industries have demanded not only greater use of polymeric materials but also the development of polymeric materials with specific properties. Major users include the automotive and transport industries, electrical and electronics industries, and the packaging industry. Following the success of Speciality Polymers, Dr Dyson's book provides an overview of the main types of polymeric materials used in engineering, and discusses their applications - both practical and potential.

The political and social ideas of St Augustine of Hippo are of central importance to the historian of late classical and medieval political thought: Augustine offers a penetrating critique of the moral and political claims of imperial Rome, and he is one of the founders of the Christian political thought of the middle ages. But the student's task is made difficult by the fact that Augustine did not write a single, systematic political treatise. His political remarks are always incidental to his theological and pastoral concerns; they occur in many different contexts; they have to be dissected...

Sedulius Scottus (fl. ca 850) is an important figure in the early history of European political thought, one of a group of ninth-century authors who produced short treatises in which they attempted to clarify the proper relation between spiritual and secular power.

R. W. DYSON There will be few readers of this book who are not aware of the contribution that polymers make to modern life. They are to be seen around the home, at work, in transport and in leisure pursuits. They take many forms which include plastic mouldings and extrusions, plastic film and sheet, plastic laminates (fibreglass and formica), rubber gloves, hoses, tyres and sealing rings, fibres for textiles and carpets and so on, cellular products for cushioning and thermal insulation, adhesives and coating materials such as paints and varnishes. The majority of these polymers are synthetic...

The development of specific polymer systems that can be used in a range of applications not normally associated with polymers has been one of the major successes of the modern polymer industry. Meeting the need for an introductory text covering the main groups of specialist polymers, the first edition of this book was widely read by professionals and students working in both polymer science and technology, and materials science and engineering. Since the first edition was published there have been significant advances in some areas, whilst others have declined in importance. In a thorough...

Injection moulding is one of the most important methods of manufacturing plastics products. Through the development of sophisticated micro processor control systems, the modern injection moulding machine is capable of producing precision mouldings with close tolerances in large numbers and with excellent reproducibility. This capability, however, is often limited by the lack of a proper appreciation of mould design. The mould, or tool as it is often called, is at the heart of the injection moulding process. Its basic function is to accept the plastic melt from the injection unit and cool it...