What Went Wrong?, Fourth Edition: Case Studies of Process Plant Disasters

Book Description

Expert Trevor Kletz examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters--almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong, why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies.

Learn from the mistakes of others. This invaluable and respected book examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters - almost every one of which could have been prevented. Case histories illustrate what went wrong and why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies.

* Learn from the mistakes of others with this important book!

* Examines the causes and aftermaths of numerous plant disasters - most of which could have been prevented

* Case histories illustrate what went wrong, why it went wrong, and then guide you in how to circumvent similar tragedies

Customer Reviews:

Enlightening stuff.......2007-08-14

Mr Kletz offers engaging technical insights with case stories arising out of his long professional experience related to accidents causing small to large property damage and bodily injury including death and demonstrates that they just arise from silly mistakes made during everyday work or by having misconceptions about the laws of physics or process engineering

It is focused on occurrences in the chemical industry but the case stories serve as an example for property loss prevention in any industry (among the chapters it delves into are: maintenance, modifications, pressure pipes and vessels, hazard of materials, computers, human errors, storage tanks, labeling)

It is a slow paced reading, written to focus on ideas and develop concepts to have something new to think about. Most suitable readers are loss control & process engineers and health and safety professionals working in any type of industry or doing field surveys for insurance companies

Excellent book.......2007-03-08

Concise review of many industrial accidents with clear recommendations to help avoid repeating them. A must read all involved with industrial plants but especially chemical plants and refineries.

Learn from other people and other companies mistakes.......2006-07-12

Learning from other people and other companies mistakes is better than to gain experience through our own mistakes, especially if those are relate to safety.

An excellent reference for the industrial practitioner interested or involved with Process Safety System, Emergency Shutdown Systems, Safety Instrumented Systems, etc. working in the process industries, who want to learn about real world examples of what can go wrong.

The incidents described could occur in any type of industrial plants, even in yours. This book doesn't provide an exhaustive analysis of process safety issues or risk control. For this type of in-depth information you could try "Loss Prevention in the Process Industries", by F. P. Lees.

Use this book as a safety manual full of stories from which you should try to get what lessons can be learned from the incidents described.

I am an Industrial Practitioner of Process Safety and Control. I have been working for more than 16 years as an Instrumentation, Automation, and Process Safety and Control Engineer for the Oil & Gas Industry. I found this book to be an aid when preparing training material for operators and technicians.

A Master Class In Hazard Avoidance And Mitigation.......2006-05-02

"What Went Wrong?" is a well thought-out book on practical safety in the chemical processing industry. The book recounts numerous actual process plant accidents and incidents, includes causes and effects, and avoidance and mitigation practices.

Some of the accidents in this book are familiar to most people (Bhopal, etc.), but most are not; this exposure to "new" material is a real strength. Another strength is the focus on "minor," seemingly inconsequential, actions that have major effects. For instance, on page 62, a company was concerned that because heating had to be shut down over a weekend that water lines would freeze, so water was replaced with alcohol. When a fire occurred the sprinklers then fed the fire. This seems obvious in retrospect, but Kletz is trying to develop foresight rather than hindsight. Kletz also includes examples of human error accidents from other fields. (An excellent example concerning radiological medicine is on pages 92-93.) Kletz always avoids simplistic "human error" diagnoses and diligently pursues root causes; he asserts correctly that in human error accidents it is "unfair to put all the blame on the person who adds the last straw."

Chapter seven concerns leaks. Thomas Fuller was right in 1732 when he said "A small leak will sink a great ship." Leaks are easy to discount as minor and routine annoyances. This chapter does an excellent job of discussing most leak-related issues. The section on "Drain Valves and Vents" is particularly well-developed, as is the section titled "Small Cocks," which makes the point that they should never be used as the sole source of isolation (especially for flammable materials above their atmospheric boiling points.) Likewise his remarks at the end of the chapter (page 162) about measurements are insightful: "Whenever possible we should measure directly what we need to know and not some other property from which it can be deduced." This was, of course, one of the major problems that triggered the Three Mile Island accident.

Chapter eight is titled "Liquefied Flammable Gases," and is an extension of chapter seven in many ways (leaks play a role in many LFG incidents.) Kletz also has an excellent discussion of the hazards of Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosions (BLEVEs) including dramatic examples from Feyzin, France and Duque de Caxias, Brazil. A great example (a crack propagation problem in a low temperature, nine percent nickel steel tank in Qatar) of how to mitigate and trap problems in a large-scale LFG system is on page 172, and discusses the pros and cons of different types of dike wall construction.

Chapter nine is on pipe and vessel failures. There is a good discussion of vapor cloud explosions, and while I am amazed at the scope of the author's data, even I was surprised (and amused) to find that Table 9-1 included in "transport container" column for vapor cloud explosions the note "Includes 1 zeppelin." Now that's thorough!

The book also discusses ancillary fittings (like flanges and gaskets) and equipment (like centrifuges and pumps), their common failure modes and hazard prevention methods. There is an especially good discussion of heat exchangers, furnaces, and cooling towers in chapter ten. Especially enlightening is the discussion of damage by water hammer, and the example given (see Figure 10-11, "Condensate in the steam...knocked off the impingement plate and damaged calandria tubes") illustrates the folly of ignoring precursor incidents in an accident prevention strategy. In section 10.7 Kletz discusses furnaces, and makes the statement "Never say, 'It must be safe because we have been doing it this way for years and have never had an accident'" which is an axiom that any safety professional should embrace.

Chapter eleven concerns entry into vessels, and notes that in the US each year about 63 people are killed after being overcome in inadequately prepared vessels. Of these, 40 are would-be rescuers. Any business with this type of exposure must insure that they have excellent equipment and training (including recurrent training) for people undertaking these tasks. No matter what training occurs, though, you can't protect from bad judgment. On page 232 an incident is discussed where a worker was trying to shrink-fit a bearing onto a shaft in a pit with an acetylene torch while the shaft was cooled by another worker hosing liquefied petroleum gas onto the shaft with the expected fatal results.

Chapter twelve discusses the hazards of common materials. Many situations in this book concern the misuse of water resulting in boilover, slopover, foamover, frothover, puking, or many other steam or vaporization related accidents. Compressed air is another underappreciated hazard, and is also discussed at length. Especially emphasized are reactions of air and oil mixtures and the importance of using Type 3A molecular sieves, which can avoid issues encountered in operations that dry or purify compressed air. Nitrogen is also discussed. While it is inert, Kletz makes it clear that it is not harmless using several insightful examples, including an unusual liquid nitrogen induced explosion in a pork rind processing operation on page 254.

Throughout the book Kletz emphasizes the importance of process change control, and that even slight modifications are thoroughly evaluated; this is true in all safety communities, not just the chemical processing industry. Excellent examples of training issues are throughout the book, but are specifically delineated in section 22.5 "Poor Training or Procedures."

Appendix one contains a useful discussion of relative rates of different types of incidents, while Appendix two is perhaps the best in the book, as it discusses accident reporting (page 395) and gives five excellent reasons to publish accident reports, advice that is valid in all industries.

"What Went Wrong?" is a well written book with many insights for safety professionals. It is written for the chemical industries, but is readable and useful to safety professionals in all industries. I deal largely with aviation safety (though I have a background in industrial chemical processing), and the parallels are manifold.

I highly recommend this book, and look forward to reading other books by Trevor Kletz.

Itemized Case History of Accidents in the Chemical Industry.......2006-04-06

What I like most about this book is its index and table of contents. It is easy to find a type of accident. For example, when I turned to page 291, I found an exact, simple description of the dangers resulting from the flow of a non-conducting liquid, i.e., one with a low dielectric constant --- like toluene (2.4 compared to water with a constant of 80). "The danger is that a spark could discharge between a body of liquid and grounded metal." In other words, a high voltage shock will knock you off your feet.

If this review was helpful, please add your vote.

This is an easy-to-read text and should be required reading for all chemical engineers entering the workforce. After you read it, you can move on to more detailed engineering text on the subject of safety such as Kletz's own book, or Mark Tweeddale, or Crowl and Louvar's text. These text are for calculations, "What Went Wrong," is for a clear understanding of the dangers you will be facing.

If this review was helpful, please add your vote -- Thanks.

Instrument Engineers' Handbook, Volume 1, Fourth Edition: Process Measurement and Analysis

Average customer rating:

The Very Best Reference - From an Industrial Practitioner of Process Measurement & Control
Instrument Engineers Handbook Vol1
Excellent book for the advanced field technician.

Instrument Engineers' Handbook, Volume 1, Fourth Edition: Process Measurement and Analysis

Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0849310830

Book Description

Unsurpassed in its coverage, usability, and authority since its first publication in 1969, the three-volume Instrument Engineers' Handbook continues to be the premier reference for instrument engineers around the world. It helps users select and implement hundreds of measurement and control instruments and analytical devices and design the most cost-effective process control systems that optimize production and maximize safety. Now entering its fourth edition, Volume 1: Process Measurement and Analysis is fully updated with increased emphasis on installation and maintenance consideration. Its coverage is now fully globalized with product descriptions from manufacturers around the world.

Customer Reviews:

The Very Best Reference - From an Industrial Practitioner of Process Measurement & Control.......2006-07-08

The book cover almost every single instrument used in the process industry for Process measurement and Analysis of the most common process variables. The book covers Flow, Level, Temperature, Pressure, Density, Safety and Miscellaneous Sensors (Vibration, Shock, acceleration, torque, noise, etc.)

One of the aspect that I find more appealing is that at the beginning of each chapter you find an application and selection oriented overview and an orientation table for the process variable covered in that chapter of the book. The tables list all the different types of sensors and summarize the features and capabilities, as well as approximated prices, accuracies and characteristics of each one. If you need a sensor for a particular application, you can narrow your options and then go to the sections of the book that covers in details the selected sensors.

If you work with Industrial Instrumentation you will find this book to be a very valuable tool in your day to day job, either if you specify, install, maintain or operate them.

This handbook has almost 2000 pages of really useful information.

I have been working in the Process Industries for more than 16 years as an Automation, Instrumentation, Process Safety and Process Control Engineer. I consider this book to be the very best in the field, and it is really an Excellent reference for anyone and everyone working in these areas or in areas related with their Industrial applications.

Instrument Engineers Handbook Vol1.......2000-11-20

Excellent book. I second Mr. Hills comments, although I have recently purchased the books based upon comments Mr.Liptak has made in the control mailing list. It is a very good investment. The book is easy to read/understand, covers the full spectrum of instrumentation,give relative costs and companies manufacturing the items. It is a good first book to turn to, and will save me much research time. I wish I would have known about it earlier.

Excellent book for the advanced field technician........2000-07-07

I have used this book for years and it has never failed to provide the information necessary to troubleshoot and repair problems with measurement systems. Liptak does a wonderful job presenting measurement theory and the principles of operation of various measurement strategies. The most helpful information Liptak includes is the discussion of the limitation of various measurement devices. If you are responsible for the maintenance of a wide variety of instruments and you desire to know how those instruments work, this book is worth every penny.

Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics, Fourth Edition (Teach Yourself)

Average customer rating:

Great book!
This will become a primary reference source on your book shelf
I've read this book more than once.

Teach Yourself Electricity and Electronics, Fourth Edition (Teach Yourself)
Stan Gibilisco
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/TAB Electronics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0071459332

Book Description

Learn the hows and whys behind basic electricity, electronics, and communications without formal training

The best combination self-teaching guide, home reference, and classroom text on electricity and electronics has been updated to deliver the latest advances. Great for preparing for amateur and commercial licensing exams, this guide has been prized by thousands of students and professionals for its uniquely thorough coverage ranging from DC and AC concepts to semiconductors and integrated circuits.

Written by Stan Gibilisco, an electronics legend and McGraw-Hill's most popular TAB author
Perfect for hobbyists, students, and those of you who want to get ahead in tech-related careers
Packed with everything needed to enhance learning: 600+ illustrations, practical examples, and hundreds of test questions

NEW TO THIS EDITION:
Updated to reflect the latest technological advances in: * Computers * Robotics * Artificial Intelligence * Amplifiers * Transmitters * The Internet * High-fidelity

EXPERT HOW-TO GUIDANCE ON SOLVING PROBLEMS SUCH AS:

Simple current-voltage-resistance determinators
Power calculations
Designing acoustical and audio systems
Designing circuits and systems

Customer Reviews:

Great book!.......2007-08-16

I just placed order for the book having read through the content online. Just reading through the content alone gave me assurance that it's gonna be a fantastic book.

This will become a primary reference source on your book shelf.......2007-07-17

I bought this text to help me bone up on electronics as part of my HAM Radio advocation. I did not expect such a complete work. As I said in the title you will use this as a reference for years to come. I feel like I got more than my monies worth!

I've read this book more than once........2007-07-01

This is a great introduction to electronics. If you're just starting out in electronics this book would make a great companion to your texts.

Clear simple explainations actually make it a fun read. You can easily read this one cover to cover.

My background is in electrical/computer engineering (graduated from Purdue Cal in 1996).

Instrument Engineers' Handbook, Fourth Edition, Volume Two: Process Control and Optimization

Average customer rating:

Before we can control a Process, first we must fully understand it and all of its components
Authoritative book on Process Control
This is like the bible for process control

Instrument Engineers' Handbook, Fourth Edition, Volume Two: Process Control and Optimization

Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0849310814

Book Description

The latest update to Bela Liptak's acclaimed "bible" of instrument engineering is now available. Retaining the format that made the previous editions bestsellers in their own right, the fourth edition of Process Control and Optimization continues the tradition of providing quick and easy access to highly practical information. The authors are practicing engineers, not theoretical people from academia, and their from-the-trenches advice has been repeatedly tested in real-life applications. Expanded coverage includes descriptions of overseas manufacturer's products and concepts, model-based optimization in control theory, new major inventions and innovations in control valves, and a full chapter devoted to safety. With more than 2000 graphs, figures, and tables, this all-inclusive encyclopedic volume replaces an entire library with one authoritative reference. The fourth edition brings the content of the previous editions completely up to date, incorporates the developments of the last decade, and broadens the horizons of the work from an American to a global perspective.

Customer Reviews:

Before we can control a Process, first we must fully understand it and all of its components.......2006-07-24

Absolutely the Very Best Process Control Reference for the Process Control Engineer - Now Updated and Expanded !!. This is the second volume of the Instrument Engineer's Handbook, and. as its title suggests, it deals with Process control and Optimization, covering everything from Control Hardware, Control Theory, Control Strategies, and the Control and Optimization of Specific Unit Operations.

The Chapters on Control Hardware cover in detail transmitters, controllers, control valves, regulators and other types of final control elements, PLCs, and other logic devices, human interfaces and displays, including the design of control rooms.

The Chapters on Control Theory and Control Strategies covers everything from control basics and PID controllers, to tuning methods, stability, process characteristics, process modeling and simulation, model-based control, genetic and other evolutionary algorithms, fuzzy logic programming, neural networks and other advance control strategies.

The Chapters on Control and Optimization of Unit Operations provide both in-depth of both the theory of operation and control, and practical implementation for the control of pumping, distillation, chemical reaction, heat transfer and many other.

While evaluating and reviewing such sophisticated topics about Process Control, this handbook also tries and succeeds to provide and reinforce the reader with the most useful tool for the Automation and Control Engineer: Common Sense. In order to emphasize the importance of Common Sense, the Author gives some practical recommendations that include the following ones:

- Before we can control a process, one must fully understand it.
- Being progressive is good, but being a guinea pig is not. Therefore is the wrong control strategy is implemented, the performance of even the most advanced digital hardware will be unacceptable.
- And Instrumentation, Automation, and Process Control Engineer or Technician is doing a good and better job by telling plant management what they need to know, and not what they like to hear.
- If an instrument is worth installing, it should also be worth calibrating and maintaining. No device can outperform the reference against it was calibrated.
- Trust your common sense not the sales literature. Independent performance evaluation based on the recommendation of international and national users associations should be done before installation, and not after it.

I am an Industrial Practitioner of Process Measurement & Control. I have been working in the Process Industries for more than 16 years as an Automation, Instrumentation, Process Safety and Process Control Engineer. I consider this book to be the very best reference in the field for anyone and everyone working in these areas or in areas related with their Industrial applications. You will find this handbook useful, either if your work is related with the engineering, maintenance or operation of Process Control Systems.

If you are a beginner to Process Control, you may also want to consider "Process Dynamics, Modeling, and Control (Topics in Chemical Engineering)" by Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, which is an excelent introductory reference to Chemical Processes Dynamics and Control.

Authoritative book on Process Control.......2002-10-15

This book is a Must Have in your Engineering Library.
Liptak provides extensive detail for this to be your one-stop-shop for controls as well as a great introduction & encyclopedia for the rookies.
Hats off to Liptak and his team.
Just brace yourself for the 1,500 pages of information !! ;)

This is like the bible for process control.......1999-07-29

The first edition was published in 1969, the second edition was released in 1982 (Volume 1) and 1985 (Volume 2). This latest edition comprises over 3000 pages between the 2 volumes. Each volume includes 8 chapters with many sub-headings per chapter.

The Flow Measurement (29 sub-headins) and Analytical Instrumentation (60 sub-headings) chapters were heavily revised for the 1995 edition of VOLUME 1. PLC's & Other Logic Devices (10 subheadings), DCS & Computer-based Systems (16 sub-headings) and Process Control Systems (27 sub-headings) were largely rewritten for the 1995 edition of VOLUME 2. Within each product-oriented sub-heading (eg. Magnetic Flowmeters, Infrared Analyzers, DCS Basic Packages), in addition to extensive treatment of the applicable technology, a comprehesive listing of manufacturers and typical price ranges is provided. Under Process Control Systems, a diverse group of applications (Airhandler Controls, Clean Room Controls, Distillation Advanced Controls, Compressor Controls, Reactor Control & Optimation and many others) is profiled. Throughout this handbook, process control is treated in the time-domain to minimize mathematical complications implicit in frequency-domain analysis. Its focus is the practicding engineer and explains most control phoenomena visually.

Over 250 contributing authors are listed, including many prestigious names immediately recognizable by process control professionals. Liptak personally authored a substantial number of revised and up-dated easlier contribution of pioneering practitioners. This opus is a tour de force.

Book Description

Over 2000 drawings make this sourcebook a gold mine of information for learning and innovating in mechanical design

The fourth edition of this unique engineering reference book covers the past, present, and future of mechanisms and mechanical devices. Among the thousands of proven mechanisms illustrated and described are many suitable for recycling into new mechanical, electromechanical, or mechatronic products and systems. Overviews of robotics, rapid prototyping, MEMS, and nanotechnology will get you up-to-speed on these cutting-edge technologies. Easy-to-read tutorial chapters on the basics of mechanisms and motion control will introduce those subjects to you or refresh your knowledge of them.

Comprehensive index to speed your search for topics of interest
Glossaries of terms for gears, cams, mechanisms, and robotics
New industrial robot specifications and applications
Mobile robots for exploration, scientific research, and defense

INSIDE Mechanisms and Mechanical Devices Sourcebook, 4th Edition

Basics of Mechanisms • Motion Control Systems • Industrial Robots • Mobile Robots • Drives and Mechanisms That Include Linkages, Gears, Cams, Genevas, and Ratchets • Clutches and Brakes • Devices That Latch, Fasten, and Clamp • Chains, Belts, Springs, and Screws • Shaft Couplings and Connections • Machines That Perform Specific Motions or Package, Convey, Handle, or Assure Safety • Systems for Torque, Speed, Tension, and Limit Control • Pneumatic, Hydraulic, Electric, and Electronic Instruments and Controls • Computer-Aided Design Concepts • Rapid Prototyping • New Directions in Mechanical Engineering

Average customer rating:

Best book for Vibration course of Master degree
Not very useful
Not a good text
Poor Book
Not Happy Teaching From This Text

Mechanical Vibrations, Fourth Edition
Singiresu S. Rao
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0130489875

Book Description

With an emphasis on computer techniques of analysis, this book presents the theory, computational aspects, and applications of vibrations in as simple a manner as possible. This text gives expanded explanations of the fundamentals of vibration including history of vibration, degree of freedom systems, vibration control, vibration measurement, and more. For engineers and other professionals who want a clear introduction to vibration engineering.

Customer Reviews:

Best book for Vibration course of Master degree.......2006-03-01

This book in my point of view as a Master student in Mechanical Engineering is the best for Vibration. Examples are given with practical applications. You can find many interesting challenging problems at the end of each chapter. I found it much better than Thomson's book, as it explains the examples more clearly. Another postive point that I have found is the summeries given at the end of each section. They include many important issues related to that specific section.

Not very useful.......2005-12-11

I found this book to be very hard to understand, and not very systematic. in some of the examples it is assumed that you know how to do all the math, or you understand entirely the thought process. Maybe there is not a better text, but compared to my other engineering text books, I would say this is one of the worst that i have used. It seems that it would be better for those who have a strong understanding of dynamics. Not introductory courses to the subject.

And again one of the largest drawbacks that i found was it did not have great examples, some were good, some were ok, but they did not cover the sections well in my opinion.

Also one of the most annoying things is a formula that we used extensively for 3 weeks was found in an example, not in the text where it should have been for those who don't fully examine the examples.

Not a good text.......2003-01-11

This book in my opinion is not the one to enjoy the beauty of the subject and mechanics in general. There is a vast amount of material amassed but the structure of the book is poor.
It seems being overburden with details and particulars and lacking unified clear consistent approach. In addition some mistakes are just plain annoying. If one wants to be serious about vibrations - do not sweat over this book. It can be just another somewhat usefull reference book to find some particular solution to for some particular problem.
Instead one can study mechanics with beautifully written classical L.Meirovitch, "Fundamentals of Vibrations" which is much more original, rigorous, clear, usefull and serious book to have.

Poor Book.......2000-05-08

I used this textbook for my Mechanical Vibrations course and was very displeased with it. My biggest gripe is the lack of examples in each chapter. There are an abundance of homework problems at the end of each chapter, but the vast majority of them are not illustrated at all in example problems. I noticed this immediately in Chapter 1 when attempting to solve several of the problems. The text also develops equations and formulas without detail and explanation. Luckily my teacher developed the eqations in class lecture and provided the majority of information for the course. While working out homework and test problems that were assigned, the book was of little use for me. I think the clarity of writing could be better, as well. By the way, I got an A in the course and still found the book to be poor.

Not Happy Teaching From This Text.......1999-12-08

I recently used this as a text to teach Vibrations to Mechanical Engineering seniors after Vibration Analysis by Vierck went out of print. I was attracted to Rao's book because much of the presentation is similar to Vierck. After using this text for one semester, I was not satisfied. I was particularly concerned by Chapter 2 where the fundamentals of damped single degree of freedom systems are covered. This Chapter is critical to building the foundation of Vibration Theory and I was disturbed to find that two critical plots, the time history comparison of responses with various damping levels and the phase plane plot for the same cases were seriously incorrect. While errors always can be found in texts, these plots were so obviously wrong at first glance that I wondered how a book with 29 reviewers (as listed in the Acknowledgements) has such glaring errors. As I progressed through the text I found a number of other errors including incorrect equations in some places. I also found that some material, emphasized in Vierck, that I consider important was buried in the worked examples rather than being emphasized as part of the book's text. While the book does present a lot of material and gives some interesting problems, I found that I was not comfortable with the text at the end of the course. I have since decided to drop this book from consideration as our text.

EMC for Product Designers, Fourth Edition

Average customer rating:

General EMC backgroud and principles

EMC for Product Designers, Fourth Edition
Tim Williams
Manufacturer: Newnes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0750681705

Book Description

Widely regarded as the standard text on EMC, Tim Williams book provides all the key information needed to meet the requirements of the latest EMC Directive. Most importantly, it shows how to incorporate EMC principles into the product design process, avoiding cost and performance penalties, meeting the needs of specific standards and resulting in a better overall product.

As well as covering the very latest legal requirements, the fourth edition has been thoroughly updated in line with the latest best practice in EMC compliance and product design. Coverage has been considerably expanded to include the R&TTE and Automotive EMC Directives, as well the military aerospace standards of DEF STAN 59-41 and DO160E. A new chapter on systems EMC is included, while short case studies demonstrate how EMC product design is put into practice.

Tim Williams has worked for a variety of companies as an electronic design engineer over the last 25 years. He has monitored the progress of the EMC Directive and its associated standards since it was first made public. He now runs his own consultancy specialising in EMC design and test advice and training.

* Includes the compliance procedures of the latest EMC Directive: 2004/108/EC
* Short case studies demonstrating how EMC product design is put into practice.

* Packed full with many new chapters including:
- The R&TTE Directive and the Automotive EMC Directive looking at compliance aspects of radio and telecom terminal equipment and automotive electronic products
- New chapter on military aerospace standards of DEP STAN 59-41 and DO1 60E
- New chapter on systems EMC

Customer Reviews:

General EMC backgroud and principles.......2001-09-10

If you can only afford 1 book on EMC make it this one. It covers the general field very well and deserves its' standing as the definitive text on EMC. It does not cover some aspects of design as well as specialist texts but gives enough of a background to get a reader moving in the right direction. If you are new to EMC or want a background to what all the fuss is about, this is the best starting point you can have.

Satellite Communications, Fourth Edition (Professional Engineering)

Average customer rating:

Good Basic Overview, Not Current with Today's IP Technology
nice breadth that covers this field

Satellite Communications, Fourth Edition (Professional Engineering)
Dennis Roddy
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0071462988

Book Description

Master the fundamentals of satellite communications

Highly regarded for more than a decade as both a teaching text and professional tutorial, this classic guide to satellite communications has been revised, updated, and expanded to cover global wireless applications, digital television, and Internet access via satellite.

In-depth, textbook-style coverage combined with an intuitive, low-math approach makes this book particularly appealing to the wireless and networking markets
New to this edition: Global wireless services, including 3G; Antenna Options, Error Coding

Customer Reviews:

Good Basic Overview, Not Current with Today's IP Technology.......2007-05-30

I expected the 2006 fourth edition to be more up to date with today's IP satellite technology. While the networking chapter discusses IP, it is in the contex of ATM and TDM technology with little or no information on current IP topologies and satellite Internet IP services like Hughes and BGAN among others. Additionally, there is no mention of current DVB-S or S2 technology which is widely deployed today. Roddy fails to make note of the broadcasting migration to IP with most of the broadcasting information somewhat dated.

nice breadth that covers this field.......2006-02-14

For the undergraduate or graduate student in engineering, this is a very understandable text on the basic principles of using satellites to communicate. Many topics in the field are covered. Like a comprehensive listing of existing geostationary satellites, and their orbital assignments.

For those of you who need a revision of Keplerian mechanics, Roddy supplies Chapter 2. Or if you need a quick cram on the propagation of radio waves, there is Chapter 4. And there is the all-important subject of antenna design. Whether this be for an antenna on the satellite or here on Earth.

Given that communications are of interest, various analog and digital encoding schemes are bruited. By now very well understood. Which leads into a discussion of signal and noise interference on a channel.

For all of the topics, like antenna design, or communications theory, there are certainly more indepth books. But the breadth here is a key utility of this book.

Advanced Strength and Applied Elasticity, Fourth Edition

Average customer rating:

Finally a book that explains with words!
Advanced Strength and Applied Elasticity 4th Edition
Good but not perfect
Not Practical
An elementary comprehensive treatment of applied elasticity

Advanced Strength and Applied Elasticity, Fourth Edition
Ansel C. Ugural , and Saul K. Fenster
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall PTR
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0130473928

Customer Reviews:

Finally a book that explains with words!.......2007-04-20

I don't understand what the other reviewers are talking about, I find this book a lifesaver for my Deformable Solids course, because the authors take the time to explain the formulas they put in the book with real words. I appreciate that the formulas are in the text and not coldly thrown at you in a scary cluster, making the concepts much easier to understand thoroughly.
I found the information easy to find and I think the examples are great, with detailed and explained solutions.
Finally a book that cares about "how" and "why" instead of just "what".

Advanced Strength and Applied Elasticity 4th Edition.......2004-02-12

Many Engineering text books lately do not seem to be written well. I feel that this is not the fault of the authors as much as it is the fault of the editor. This book overall is not in my worst text book list, but can be improved very easily. I have given it a 2 star rating, meaning that it still can be improved upon and until it is improved it is a difficult book to follow.

The problems with this book are:
1. Example problems are not included in the text in a sequential order. Instead a concept is introduced and five pages later there is an example problem with that material. The example problems should be there to reinforce the theoretical material. When it is so many pages later it is difficult to know what the example is trying to show.

2. There are too many formulas included in text lines. Formulas should be written in a formula type instead of included within a paragraph. When it is in the paragraph it makes it difficult to follow.

3. Topic names and definitions of concepts should be highlighted so the reader can easily go from one topic to another with a better understanding of the material.

4. As I am reading the text I have made my own illustrations for my own study. I therefore believe that the editor, with an understanding of the material, could have been able to include illustrations.

5. There is a constant reference to formulas written in previous chapters. Just rewrite the formula if it is so important to the understanding of the material. Instead the reader is in a constant state of turning pages. I am glad this book has a good binding.

To the authors: Since I am attending your University, Please do not take my criticism personally. Instead, listen to my fellow students when the review time comes about our course.

Good but not perfect.......2003-05-23

First few chapters are well treated but advanced topics are not covered in detail.For example, beams on elastic foundation chapter is not covered extensively.To conclude,anyone interested in advanced mechanics of materials should own it.

Not Practical.......2002-09-04

As an Aerospace Engineer (structures), I found this to be the one book that remains on my shelf. It has valid and accurate ACEDEMIC explanations of structural systems - but it does not lend itself to practical implementation of those methods...and many other books do! If this book is supplementing a curriculum, it will serve its purpose well. However, if you actually plan to use what you've learned - not here.

For a book that fits the requirements of application, please refer to "Practical Sress Analysis for Design Engineers", Flabel (ISBN 0-9647014-0-5)

An elementary comprehensive treatment of applied elasticity.......2000-06-01

This book covers the elementary topic of mechanics of material (stress-strain relations, etc.) and more advanced applied topics (thin plate & shell, energy method, etc.). The elementary topics are well organized and easy to understand, but the more advanced topics are not enough, especially on plate and shell theory.

Introduction to Dislocations, Fourth Edition

Average customer rating:

Very good elementary representations of dislocation theory.

Introduction to Dislocations, Fourth Edition
Derek Hull , and D J Bacon
Manufacturer: Butterworth-Heinemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0750646810

Book Description

Introduction to Dislocations was first published in 1965 in a series aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate students in metallurgy and materials science and related disciplines. At the time, the subject was maturing and it was expected that 'dislocation concepts' would remain a core discipline for a very long time. As expected, the book has been, and remains, an important undergraduate text all over the world.

A wider range of materials has emerged since 1965, most notably in the field of electronics and micro-engineering. The principles of dislocation theory still apply but some of the detail requires further treatment.

This fourth edition provides an essential basis for an understanding of many of the physical and mechanical properties of crystalline solids. This new edition has been extensively revised and updated to reflect developments in the understanding of the subject, whilst retaining the clarity and comprehensibility of the previous editions.

Customer Reviews:

Very good elementary representations of dislocation theory........1999-04-04

Much better and easier to understand than the many other classical dislocation theory books. It is also very comprehensive, although a little outdated due to its publication date.

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