Douglas D. Schumann Library & Learning Commons: Industrial Design: Materials

Recommended Books

Sustainable Materials, Processes and Production by Rob Thompson (editor)
Call Number: 620.11 .T46 2013
Publication Date: 2013
Sustainable Materials, Processes and Production is an essential reference for understanding the environmental impact of materials, manufacturing processes, and product life cycles, and is also a guide on how to select and use them in an intelligent way.
Materials for Design by Chris Lefteri
Call Number: 745.2 .L44mat2 2014
Publication Date: 2014
Materials for Design provides much-needed information on the raw materials, and the 'low-down' on what these materials can be used for.
Why Materials Matter by Seetal Solanki; Liz Corbin (foreword)
Call Number: 620.11 .S65 2018
ISBN: 9783791384719
Publication Date: 2018
Why Materials Matter presents a colorful panoply of ideas, technologies, and creative efforts that focus on the earth's most basic elements, while also showing how these elements can be transformed into entirely new materials.
The Materials Sourcebook for Design Professionals by Rob Thompson
Call Number: REF 745.2 .T46mat 2017
ISBN: 9780500518540
Publication Date: 2017
The Materials Sourcebook for Design Professionals is the one-stop resource for all design professionals, providing comprehensive, accurate information about the basic materials with which they work on a daily basis, as well as a complete breakdown on new and exciting developments in high-tech materials.
Critical Materials by Alexander King
ISBN: 9780128187890
Publication Date: 2020
Critical Materials takes a case-study approach, describing materials supply-chain failures from the bronze age to present day. It looks at why these failures occurred, what the consequences were, and how they were resolved. It identifies key lessons to guide responses to current and anticipated materials shortages at a time when the world's growing middle class is creating unprecedented demand for manufactured products and the increasingly exotic materials that go into them.

Library Online Resources for Materials

Material Order This link opens in a new window
A collaborative, open access materials database, Material Order compiles basic information on materials from collections at Harvard University, Rhode Island School of Design, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Michigan in one place.
Materiom This link opens in a new window
Materiom is a materials database that focuses specifically on sustainable materials created with natural ingredients. This resource includes recipes to manufacture the materials listed, as well as a user directory to connect with other designers interested in sustainable materials. You must sign up for a free account in order to access.
Knovel Answers for Science and Engineering This link opens in a new window
Allows material properties searching and simultaneous comparison across hundreds of materials. Also provides access to interactive graphs, property table data, and engineering equations.

Other Online Resources for Materials

Archello
Archello is a directory for architects to advertise recent projects, and for manufacturers to advertise new materials available for purchase.
MatWeb
Data sheets of thermoplastic and thermoset polymers, metals, superalloys, ceramics, semiconductors, fibers, and other engineering materials,
Sweets Directory
Sweets provides building product information, with links to CAD details, BIM objects, specifications, catalogs, project galleries as well as information on green products.
Transmaterial
Transmaterial is a blog maintained by architect and former Fulbright scholar Blaine Brownell. The blog contains brief summaries of recent innovations in materials, with links to manufacturers.