Plastics for Engineers: An Introductory Course discusses the various applications of plastics in all fields of engineering, from gears and bearings to boat hulls and car bodies. This book presents a basic account of the nature, applications, and engineering properties of this group of materials. Comprised of 15 chapters, this book starts with an overview of the various types of polymer structure and their effect on the properties. This text then outlines the methods of fabricating plastics, followed by a brief description of the nature, properties, and applications of some of the more significant plastics. Other chapters consider the main use of plastics as insulators in electrical engineering. The final chapter deals with the applications of the various types of silicones, which depends on their properties. This book is intended to be suitable for students in all fields of engineering. Qualified engineers and chemists will also find this book extremely useful.