Dr. Melchor Salazar Martínez obtained his Master's degree and Ph.D. in metallurgy and materials science at the Metallurgy and Materials Research Institute of Universidad Michoacana, México, in 1997 and 2002 respectively. He carried out postdoctoral work in at the Mexican Petroleum Institute. Since 2003, he has been a researcher at Mexican Petroleum Institute in a number of programs including Pipeline Integrity and the Exploitation of Fields in Deep Waters. His research areas are materials for offshore and deep-water applications, sulphide stress corrosion cracking (SSCC), hydrogen induced cracking (HIC), and prevention and analysis of failure. He is the author of more than 25 scientific papers.

Dr. José Lemus-Ruiz obtained his Bachelor¿s degree in Physics and Mathematics (1991) and Master degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science (1994), both at Universidad Michoacana in Mexico. He received his Ph.D. in Materials Science at McGill University, Canada in 2000. Topics of expertise include: similar and dissimilar joining by liquid and solid diffusion bonding, metal/ceramic interactions, synthesis and characterization of ceramics, and metal matrix composites. He is a Lecturer and Researcher at the Institute of Metallurgical and Materials Research at Universidad Michoacana, and currently he is making a visting researcher at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. He has published more than 70 scientific papers in international journals and symposia proceedings.

Addresses the fabrication process and characterization of composites with several matrix and reinforcement materials.

Discusses structural, chemical, and mechanical characterization of composites fabricated with aluminum and magnesium alloys as matrices reinforced with titanium carbide (TiC), aluminum nitride (AlN), silicon carbide (SiC) and alumina (Al2O3).

Focuses on the pressureless infiltration technique while considering wetting, joining, wear and corrosion issues.

Introduction.- Wettability.- Composites fabrication techniques.- Fabrication and characterization of composites.- Joining of composites.- Corrosion of composites.- Wear of composites.- Author index.- Subject index.