Adiabatic shear bands are found in a variety of metals and other materials; they cause rapid weakening due to energy concentration into narrow regions of the material. This is the very first book on this important topic and the only true introduction to the subject. An enhanced and updated student-friendly edition of the authors' 1992 book Adiabatic Shear Localization: Occurrence, Theories and Applications, this seminal text now includes essential Further Reading sections in some chapters. It explains adiabatic shear bands in a descriptive rather than a mathematical way, with a 'quick reference' section for readers wanting a more rapid introduction. Entirely comprehensive, the reader can dip into the chapters as suits his or her course material or research. If you are a postgraduate materials scientist, engineer, physicist, metallurgist, or indeed any researcher in materials that undergo rapid deformation and failure, this text is not to be missed.