Low-density, cellular solids appear widely in nature and are manufactured on a large scale by man. Aspects of their structure, and of their mechanical, thermal and other properties, have been studied in some detail by mathematicians, by physicists, by engineers and even by food technologists, each interested in one particular aspect of their geometry, or behaviour. This has led to a literature which is perhaps more scattered and diverse than that relating to any other class of engineering material: and there is not, at present, any source from which the interested reader can derive a reasonably broad and comprehensive picture. We were led to write this book in an attempt to bring together, in one text, and using a common nomenclature, a broad survey of the understanding of cellular solids.

We have been greatly helped in doing this by the advice, comments and critical readings of sections of the text, by a large number of most helpful colleagues and friends. We would particularly like to acknowledge the help of Professor C. Calladine, Dr. J. Woodhouse, Mrs. T. Shercliff, and Mr. J. Zhang of the Engineering Department, Cambridge: Dr. P. Echlin of the Botany Department, Cambridge; Ms. L. A. Demsetz, Ms. A. T. Huber, and Mr. T. C. Triantafillou of the Department of Civil Engineering, MIT; Professor L. Glicksman of the Department of Architecture, MIT; Professors B. Budiansky, J. Hutchinson, and T. McMahon of the Division of Applied Sciences, Harvard University; Professor K. E. Easterling of the University of New South Wales; Professor S. K. Maiti of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.