Mike Jenkins – författare

Plastics: Microstructure and Applications is a key text for senior students studying the science and engineering of plastics materials (or polymers) and will serve as a valuable introduction to the fundamentals of polymer properties for those new to the field.

Starting from microstructure and physical properties, the book covers the mechanical, chemical, transport and electrical properties of plastics materials and also deals in detail with wider issues that today's engineers and materials scientists need, such as manufacturing processes and the design of plastics products.

A thorough revision of the book for this 4th edition reflects advances in the field by including more detailed discussion of characterization techniques, crystallization and molecular structure, thermoplastic composites, 3D printing and electrical properties of plastics. The chapter on materials and shape selection covers sustainability, life cycle analysis and waste disposal considerations for plastics materials.

Provides introductory information for students of plastics technology, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering and other fields. A useful introduction to the fundamentals of plastics for academic and industrial researchers from other fields. Includes substantial new coverage of microstructure and morphology of polymers; electrical properties of plastics; modern additive manufacturing and consideration of sustainability and life cycle analysis of plastic materials.

InIP Times sees Mike Jenkins developing further the picture of working-class society in south Wales which he presented so forcefully in his previous book, Empire of Smoke. His use of language and dialect moves still closer to that of his subjects, and the business of their living is written about not from a point of literary detachment, but with gritty involvement. The poems in this book mix tenderness towards people, particularly the poet's family, with anger at a society which is at best uncaring and often hostile. The result is a series of almost surrealistic pictures culminating in the title poem, and contrasting intriguingly with the content and compassion of poems in the tradition of Idris Davies."… one of the wild men of poetry - a plugger, a pusher, a protester, a consummate rhymester, an agit-prop politiciser, a self-proclaimed Mr Oblong in a square hole"Peter Finch A humorous and impassioned reader of his work, Mike Jenkins has performed at numerous and diverse venues, read on radio and TV, and is a previous winner of the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry. He is a former editor of Poetry Wales, and a founder of the Red Poets Society, which organises regular performances and publishes an annual magazine of radical poetry. Wanting to Belong, his collection of interlinked short stories about teenagers in a south Wales valley, was Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year 1998, and has been filmed by the BBC.

Volume 1 presents the latest research, from a distinguished panel of international contributors, into the chemical structure and composition, microstructure and material processing of the various materials used in a wide range of sports. The relationship between performance and design is examined in detail for each sport covered.Part one concentrates on the general use of materials in sports. Here, the reader is given a broad insight into the overall influence of materials in sports, and the significance of material processing and design. Part two focuses on showing how individual sports have benefited from recent improvements in material technology. It also analyses the way in which improvements in our understanding of biomechanics and the engineering aspects of sports equipment performance have influenced materials and design. Sports whose equipment is considered in detail include: golf, tennis, cycling, mountaineering, skiing, cricket and paralympic sports. The overall aim of the book is to make the reader aware of the interaction between the type of material, its selection, processing and surface treatment, and show how this process underpins the performance of the final sporting product.The first volume of Materials in sports equipment has become an essential reference describing improvements in materials technology and their impact on equipment in a range of sports. The second volume combines coverage of recent developments in advanced materials and their application in a number of sports not covered in Volume one.volume two discusses general issues such as modelling of materials behaviour in sports equipment, non-destructive testing methods, materials and design for sports apparel and mouth and skull protection. Part two analyses the materials and design of equipment used for specific sports: baseball, snowboarding, ice hockey, fly fishing, archery and rowing. The book also reviews design and materials in athletics and fitness equipment.A major handbook on materials in sportsPractical guide to material selection and processing for equipment used in many popular sportsReviews recent developments in advanced materials and their applications in a number of sports

Given the widespread use of polymers in medical devices, the durability and reliability of this material in use is an area of critical importance. Durability and reliability of medical polymers reviews the performance of both bioresorbable and non-bioresorbable medical polymers.Part one provides a review of the types and properties of bioresorbable medical polymers. The effect of molecular structure on properties is discussed, along with the processing of bioresorbable and other polymers for medical applications. Transport phenomena and the degradation of bioresorbable medical polymers are reviewed, before an exploration of synthetic bioresorbable polymers and their use in orthopaedic tissue regeneration. Part two goes on to explore the durability and reliability of non-bioresorbable medical polymers, and wear processes in polymer implants and ageing processes of biomedical polymers in the body are discussed in depth, before an investigation into manufacturing defects and the failure of synthetic polymeric medical devices.With its distinguished editors and international team of expert contributors, Durability and reliability of medical polymers is an essential tool for all materials scientists, researchers and engineers involved in the design, development and application of medical polymers, whilst also providing a helpful overview of the subject for biologists, chemist and clinicians.Comprehensively examines the performance of both bioresorbable and non-bioresorbable medical polymersDiscusses the processing of bioresorbable and other polymers for medical applications, before reviewing the degradation of bioresorbable medical polymersExplores the durability and reliability of non-bioresorbable medical polymers and discusses wear processes in polymer implants and ageing processes of biomedical polymers in the body

In this innovative new collection, Mike Jenkins continues his life-long fascination with the history and fate of Wales, with the glories of its valleys and with the decline of its post-industrial landscape. In contrast, his career in teaching left him with a sense of optimism about young people, about the prospect of change and with an eagerness to embrace changing times. His sensitive awareness of the natural world, or what is available of the natural world in an urban context, is a frequently poignant feature of his work. Above all, though, these poems, like his prize-winning short stories, are full of colourful characters, dialogue, and incident.Mike Jenkins is now a full-time writer and teacher of Creative Writing, after spending over 30 years in teaching. Author of seven previous poetry collections for Seren, he has also published a novel, The Fugitive Three (Cinnamon Press, 2008) and a collection of short fiction, Child of Dust (2005). He has also published poetry and novellas for children. He is former editor of Poetry Wales and is co-editor and founder of Red Poets magazine. He has won an Eric Gregory Award, Welsh Arts Council Young Writers' Prize, John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry and, in 1998, the Wales Book of the Year for Wanting to Belong (Seren, 1997). Jenkins has appeared at the Hay and Aldeburgh festivals, has had a BBC Wales programme dedicated to his work, and has read many of his poems on TV and radio.

Improvements in materials technology have made a significant impact on sporting performance in recent years. Advanced materials and novel processing methods have enabled the development of new types of equipment with enhanced properties, as well as improving the overall design of sporting goods. The interdependence between material technology and design, and its impact on many of the most popular sports, is reviewed in this book.Materials in sports equipment presents the latest research, from a distinguished panel of international contributors, into the chemical structure and composition, microstructure and material processing of the various materials used in a wide range of sports. The relationship between performance and design is examined in detail for each sport covered.Part one concentrates on the general use of materials in sports. Here, the reader is given a broad insight into the overall influence of materials in sports, and the significance of material processing and design. Part two focuses on showing how individual sports have benefited from recent improvements in material technology. It also analyses the way in which improvements in our understanding of biomechanics and the engineering aspects of sports equipment performance have influenced materials and design. Sports whose equipment is considered in detail include: golf, tennis, cycling, mountaineering, skiing, cricket and paralympic sports. The overall aim of the book is to make the reader aware of the interaction between the type of material, its selection, processing and surface treatment, and show how this process underpins the performance of the final sporting product.It is essential reading for all materials scientists and researchers working in this rapidly developing field.A major handbook on materials in sportsPractical guide to material selection and processing for equipment used in many popular sportsShows how material characteristics affect design and performance