If you cannot obtain the official ASM text immediately, here are three free, legally available PDF resources that cover the same ground:
Enter the industry’s best-kept educational secret: metallurgy for the non-metallurgist pdf
Metallurgists categorize materials into two main "families" based on their iron content: Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist | Technical Books If you cannot obtain the official ASM text
Are you a non-metallurgist who has used this resource? Share your experience in the comments below. For more articles on practical materials science, consider subscribing to our newsletter. Most materials stick together because atoms share electrons
Most materials stick together because atoms share electrons (covalent bonds, like in diamond) or trade electrons (ionic bonds, like in salt). These bonds are rigid and directional. If you try to bend a diamond or a piece of chalk, you are fighting the fundamental structure of the bond. Usually, the material snaps.