Liquidmetal and Vitreloy are commercial names of a series of amorphous metal alloys developed by a California Institute of Technology (Caltech) research team and marketed by Liquidmetal Technologies. Liquidmetal alloys combine a number of desirable material features, including high tensile strength, excellent corrosion resistance, very high coefficient of restitution and excellent anti-wearing characteristics, while also being able to be heat-formed in processes similar to thermoplastics. Despite the name, they are not liquid at room temperature.[1]
Liquidmetal was introduced for commercial applications in 2003.[citation needed] It is used for, among other things, golf clubs, watches and covers of cell phones.
The alloy was the end result of a research program into amorphous
metals carried out at Caltech. It was the first of a series of
experimental alloys that could achieve an amorphous structure at
relatively slow cooling rates.[citation needed]
Amorphous metals had been made before, but only in small batches
because cooling rates needed to be in the millions of degrees per
second. For example, amorphous wires could be fabricated by splat quenching
a stream of molten metal on a spinning disk. Because Vitreloy allowed
such slow cooling rates, production of larger batch sizes was possible.
More recently, a number of additional alloys have been added to the
Liquidmetal portfolio. These alloys also retain their amorphous
structure after repeated re-heating, allowing them to be used in a wide
variety of traditional machining processes.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidmetal
Tuesday 12 May 2015
Precious Metals
A classification of metals that are considered to be rare and/or have a
high economic value. The higher relative values of these metals are
driven by various factors including their rarity, uses in industrial
processes and use as an investment commodity.
Precious metals include, but are not limited to: gold, silver, platinum, iridium, rhodium and palladium.
Investing in precious metals can be done either by purchasing the physical asset, or by purchasing futures contracts for the particular metal. Another way to gain investment exposure to precious metals is to purchase shares in publicly traded companies that deal in the exploration or production of precious metals, such as a gold mining company.
From - http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/preciousmetal.asp
Precious metals include, but are not limited to: gold, silver, platinum, iridium, rhodium and palladium.
Investing in precious metals can be done either by purchasing the physical asset, or by purchasing futures contracts for the particular metal. Another way to gain investment exposure to precious metals is to purchase shares in publicly traded companies that deal in the exploration or production of precious metals, such as a gold mining company.
From - http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/preciousmetal.asp
Weathering steel - Corten wiki definition
Weathering steel, best-known under the trademark COR-TEN steel and sometimes written without the hyphen as "Corten steel", is a group of steel alloys which were developed to eliminate the need for painting, and form a stable rust-like appearance if exposed to the weather for several years.
U.S. Steel holds the registered trademark on the name COR-TEN.[1] Although USS sold its discrete plate business to International Steel Group (now Arcelor-Mittal) in 2003,[2] it still sells COR-TEN branded material in strip-mill plate and sheet forms.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering_steel
U.S. Steel holds the registered trademark on the name COR-TEN.[1] Although USS sold its discrete plate business to International Steel Group (now Arcelor-Mittal) in 2003,[2] it still sells COR-TEN branded material in strip-mill plate and sheet forms.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weathering_steel
Glass wiki definition
Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline) solid
material which is often transparent and has widespread practical,
technological, and decorative usage in things like window panes,
tableware, and optoelectronics. The most familiar, and historically the
oldest, types of glass are based on the chemical compound silica (silicon dioxide), the primary constituent of sand. The term glass,
in popular usage, is often used to refer only to this type of material,
which is familiar from use as window glass and in glass bottles. Of the
many silica-based glasses that exist, ordinary glazing and container
glass is formed from a specific type called soda-lime glass, composed of approximately 75% silicon dioxide (SiO2), sodium oxide (Na2O) from sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), calcium oxide, also called lime (CaO), and several minor additives. A very clear and durable quartz glass can be made from pure silica; the other compounds above are used to improve the temperature workability of the product.
Many applications of silicate glasses derive from their optical transparency, which gives rise to one of silicate glasses' primary uses as window panes. Glass will both reflect and refract light; these qualities can be enhanced by cutting and polishing to make optical lenses, prisms, fine glassware, and optical fibers for high speed data transmission by light. Glass can be colored by adding metallic salts, and can also be painted. These qualities have led to the extensive use of glass in the manufacture of art objects and in particular, stained glass windows. Although brittle, silicate glass is extremely durable, and many examples of glass fragments exist from early glass-making cultures. Because glass can be formed or molded into any shape, and also because it is a sterile product, it has been traditionally used for vessels: bowls, vases, bottles, jars and drinking glasses. In its most solid forms it has also been used for paperweights, marbles, and beads. When extruded as glass fiber and matted as glass wool in a way to trap air, it becomes a thermal insulating material, and when these glass fibers are embedded into an organic polymer plastic, they are a key structural reinforcement part of the composite material fiberglass.
In science, the term glass is often defined in a broader sense, encompassing every solid that possesses a non-crystalline (i.e. amorphous) atomic-scale structure and that exhibits a glass transition when heated towards the liquid state. Thus, porcelains and many polymer thermoplastics familiar from everyday use are physically glasses also. These sorts of glasses can be made of quite different kinds of materials: metallic alloys, ionic melts, aqueous solutions, molecular liquids, and polymers. For many applications (bottles, eyewear) polymer glasses (acrylic glass, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate) are a lighter alternative to traditional silica glasses.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass
Many applications of silicate glasses derive from their optical transparency, which gives rise to one of silicate glasses' primary uses as window panes. Glass will both reflect and refract light; these qualities can be enhanced by cutting and polishing to make optical lenses, prisms, fine glassware, and optical fibers for high speed data transmission by light. Glass can be colored by adding metallic salts, and can also be painted. These qualities have led to the extensive use of glass in the manufacture of art objects and in particular, stained glass windows. Although brittle, silicate glass is extremely durable, and many examples of glass fragments exist from early glass-making cultures. Because glass can be formed or molded into any shape, and also because it is a sterile product, it has been traditionally used for vessels: bowls, vases, bottles, jars and drinking glasses. In its most solid forms it has also been used for paperweights, marbles, and beads. When extruded as glass fiber and matted as glass wool in a way to trap air, it becomes a thermal insulating material, and when these glass fibers are embedded into an organic polymer plastic, they are a key structural reinforcement part of the composite material fiberglass.
In science, the term glass is often defined in a broader sense, encompassing every solid that possesses a non-crystalline (i.e. amorphous) atomic-scale structure and that exhibits a glass transition when heated towards the liquid state. Thus, porcelains and many polymer thermoplastics familiar from everyday use are physically glasses also. These sorts of glasses can be made of quite different kinds of materials: metallic alloys, ionic melts, aqueous solutions, molecular liquids, and polymers. For many applications (bottles, eyewear) polymer glasses (acrylic glass, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate) are a lighter alternative to traditional silica glasses.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass
Mirror wiki definition
A mirror is an object that reflects
light in such a way that, for incident light in some range of
wavelengths, the reflected light preserves many or most of the detailed
physical characteristics of the original light. This is different from
other light-reflecting objects that do not preserve much of the original
wave signal other than color and diffuse reflected light.
The most familiar type of mirror is the plane mirror, which has a flat screen surface. Curved mirrors are also used, to produce magnified or diminished images or focus light or simply distort the reflected image.
Mirrors are commonly used for personal grooming or admiring oneself (in which case the archaic term looking-glass is sometimes still used, decoration, and architecture. Mirrors are also used in scientific apparatus such as telescopes and lasers, cameras, and industrial machinery. Most mirrors are designed for visible light; however, mirrors designed for other wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation are also used.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror
The most familiar type of mirror is the plane mirror, which has a flat screen surface. Curved mirrors are also used, to produce magnified or diminished images or focus light or simply distort the reflected image.
Mirrors are commonly used for personal grooming or admiring oneself (in which case the archaic term looking-glass is sometimes still used, decoration, and architecture. Mirrors are also used in scientific apparatus such as telescopes and lasers, cameras, and industrial machinery. Most mirrors are designed for visible light; however, mirrors designed for other wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation are also used.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror
Granite wiki definition
Granite is nearly always massive (lacking any internal structures), hard and tough, and therefore it has gained widespread use throughout human history, and more recently as a construction stone. The average density of granite is between 2.65[1] and 2.75 g/cm3, its compressive strength usually lies above 200 MPa, and its viscosity near STP is 3–6 • 1019 Pa·s.[2] Melting temperature is or 1215–1260 °C (2219–2300 °F).[3]
Granite has poor primary permeability but strong secondary permeability.
Granitoid is a general, descriptive field term for lighter-colored, coarse-grained igneous rocks. Petrographic examination is required for identification of specific types of granitoids.[4]
The term "granitic" means granite-like and is applied to granite and rocks of similar composition or texture.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granite
Composites wiki definition
Composite materials (also called composition materials or shortened to composites) are materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties,
that when combined, produce a material with characteristics different
from the individual components. The individual components remain
separate and distinct within the finished structure. The new material
may be preferred for many reasons: common examples include materials
which are stronger, lighter or less expensive when compared to
traditional materials.
Typical engineered composite materials include:
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material
Typical engineered composite materials include:
- Composite building materials such as cements, concrete
- Reinforced plastics such as fiber-reinforced polymer
- Metal Composites
- Ceramic Composites (composite ceramic and metal matrices)
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material
Ceramic wiki definition
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid comprising metal, nonmetal or metalloid atoms primarily held in ionic and covalent bonds. The crystallinity of ceramic materials ranges from highly oriented to semi-crystalline, and often completely amorphous (e.g., glasses). Varying crystallinity and electron consumption in the ionic and covalent bonds cause most ceramic materials to be good thermal and electrical insulators and extensively researched in ceramic engineering.
Nevertheless, with such a large range of possible options for the
composition/structure of a ceramic (e.g. nearly all of the elements,
nearly all types of bonding, and all levels of crystallinity), the
breadth of the subject is vast, and identifiable attributes (e.g. hardness, toughness, electrical conductivity,
etc.) are hard to specify for the group as a whole. However,
generalities such as high melting temperature, high hardness, poor
conductivity, high moduli of elasticity, chemical resistance and low ductility are the norm,[1] with known exceptions to each of these rules (e.g. piezoelectric ceramics, glass transition temperature, superconductive ceramics, etc.). Many composites, such as fiberglass and carbon fiber, while containing ceramic materials, are not considered to be part of the ceramic family.[2]
The word "ceramic" comes from the Greek word κεραμικός (keramikos), "of pottery" or "for pottery",[3] from κέραμος (keramos), "potter's clay, tile, pottery".[4] The earliest known mention of the root "ceram-" is the Mycenaean Greek ke-ra-me-we, "workers of ceramics", written in Linear B syllabic script.[5] The word "ceramic" may be used as an adjective to describe a material, product or process, or it may be used as a noun, either singular, or, more commonly, as the plural noun "ceramics".[6]
The earliest ceramics made by humans were pottery objects, including 27,000-year-old figurines, made from clay, either by itself or mixed with other materials like silica, hardened, sintered, in fire. Later ceramics were glazed and fired to create smooth, colored surfaces, decreasing porosity through the use of glassy, amorphous ceramic coatings on top of the crystalline ceramic substrates.[7] Ceramics now include domestic, industrial and building products, as well as a wide range of ceramic art. In the 20th century, new ceramic materials were developed for use in advanced ceramic engineering, such as in semiconductors.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic
The word "ceramic" comes from the Greek word κεραμικός (keramikos), "of pottery" or "for pottery",[3] from κέραμος (keramos), "potter's clay, tile, pottery".[4] The earliest known mention of the root "ceram-" is the Mycenaean Greek ke-ra-me-we, "workers of ceramics", written in Linear B syllabic script.[5] The word "ceramic" may be used as an adjective to describe a material, product or process, or it may be used as a noun, either singular, or, more commonly, as the plural noun "ceramics".[6]
The earliest ceramics made by humans were pottery objects, including 27,000-year-old figurines, made from clay, either by itself or mixed with other materials like silica, hardened, sintered, in fire. Later ceramics were glazed and fired to create smooth, colored surfaces, decreasing porosity through the use of glassy, amorphous ceramic coatings on top of the crystalline ceramic substrates.[7] Ceramics now include domestic, industrial and building products, as well as a wide range of ceramic art. In the 20th century, new ceramic materials were developed for use in advanced ceramic engineering, such as in semiconductors.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceramic
Industrial enamelling
Hy-Tech not only
specialises in products that end up enhancing people’s homes. Its
experts also deal with the industrial market in the provision of pipes,
flues and panels.
Industrial components are usually coated in black or white enamel and this is applied in different ways to suit the product. Pipes, flues and panels are coated using Hy-Tech’s production line with panels sprayed with spray guns and pipes and flues dipped to ensure the enamel coats them both internally and externally.
Hy-Tech provides its industrial products to a number of suppliers, and is trusted to produce high-quality enamelled items that meet the required safety and industry standards.
From - http://www.hytechenamellers.co.uk/industrial.php
Industrial components are usually coated in black or white enamel and this is applied in different ways to suit the product. Pipes, flues and panels are coated using Hy-Tech’s production line with panels sprayed with spray guns and pipes and flues dipped to ensure the enamel coats them both internally and externally.
Hy-Tech provides its industrial products to a number of suppliers, and is trusted to produce high-quality enamelled items that meet the required safety and industry standards.
From - http://www.hytechenamellers.co.uk/industrial.php
Concrete wiki definition
Concrete is a composite material composed mainly of water, aggregate, and cement. Often, additives and reinforcements (such as rebar)
are included in the mixture to achieve the desired physical properties
of the finished material. When these ingredients are mixed together,
they form a fluid mass that is easily molded into shape. Over time, the
cement forms a hard matrix which binds the rest of the ingredients
together into a durable stone-like material with many uses.[2]
Famous concrete structures include the Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal and the Roman Pantheon. The earliest large-scale users of concrete technology were the ancient Romans, and concrete was widely used in the Roman Empire. The Colosseum in Rome was built largely of concrete, and the concrete dome of the Pantheon is the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.[3]
After the Roman Empire collapsed, use of concrete became rare until the technology was re-pioneered in the mid-18th century. Today, concrete is the most widely used man-made material (measured by tonnage).
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete
Famous concrete structures include the Hoover Dam, the Panama Canal and the Roman Pantheon. The earliest large-scale users of concrete technology were the ancient Romans, and concrete was widely used in the Roman Empire. The Colosseum in Rome was built largely of concrete, and the concrete dome of the Pantheon is the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.[3]
After the Roman Empire collapsed, use of concrete became rare until the technology was re-pioneered in the mid-18th century. Today, concrete is the most widely used man-made material (measured by tonnage).
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete
Vitreous Enamel
Vitreous enamel is the colourful result of fusing powdered glass
to a surface, such as cast iron, by firing it at an extremely high heat in a furnace at a temperature between 750 and 850 degrees centigrade. It is the firing process that gives vitreous enamel its unique combination of properties.
Vitreous enamel has many excellent properties. It is smooth, hard, chemically resistant, durable, can be blended into brilliant, long-lasting colours, and cannot burn. Its durability has found it many functional applications, including early 20th century advertising signs, interior oven walls, cooking pots, exterior walls of kitchen appliances, cast iron bathtubs, farm storage silos, and processing equipment such as chemical reactors and pharmaceutical chemical process tanks… and range cookers, of course.
The colours are produced with the addition of various minerals, often metal oxides cobalt, praseodymium, iron, or neodymium. Enamel can be transparent, opaque or translucent. Hy-Tech's standard colours are black, claret, dark blue, cream, british racing green and pewter, as well as the more specialised shades of mustard yellow, red, royal blue, dark pewter, wedgwood blue, powder blue and white. In addition to these, Hy-Tech will match any colour you request as best we can and can even produce a decorative design, including the Union Flag and Stars & Stripes.
From - http://www.hytechenamellers.co.uk/vitreous_enamel.php
Plaster wiki definition
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and
ceilings. Plaster is manufactured as a dry powder and is mixed with
water to form a paste when used. The reaction with water liberates heat
through crystallization and the hydrated plaster then hardens. Plaster can be relatively easily worked with metal tools or even sandpaper. These characteristics make plaster suitable for a finishing, rather than a load-bearing material.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaster
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaster
Plastic wiki definition
Plastic is a material consisting of any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organics that are malleable and can be molded into solid objects of diverse shapes. Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but they often contain other substances. They are usually synthetic, most commonly derived from petrochemicals, but many are partially natural.[2] Plasticity
is the general property of all materials that are able to irreversibly
deform without breaking, but this occurs to such a degree with this
class of moldable polymers that their name is an emphasis on this ability.
Due to their relatively low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility, and imperviousness to water, plastics are used in an enormous and expanding range of products, from paper clips to spaceships. They have already displaced many traditional materials, such as wood, stone, horn and bone, leather, paper, metal, glass, and ceramic, in most of their former uses. In developed countries, about a third of plastic is used in packaging and another third in buildings such as piping used in plumbing or vinyl siding.[3] Other uses include automobiles (up to 20% plastic[3]), furniture, and toys.[3] In the developing world, the ratios may be different - for example, reportedly 42% of India's consumption is used in packaging.[3] Plastics have many uses in the medical field as well, to include polymer implants, however the field of plastic surgery is not named for use of plastic material, but rather the more generic meaning of the word plasticity in regards to the reshaping of flesh.
The world's first fully synthetic plastic was bakelite, invented in New York in 1907 by Leo Baekeland[4] who coined the term 'plastics'.[5] Many chemists contributed to the materials science of plastics, including Nobel laureate Hermann Staudinger who has been called "the father of polymer chemistry" and Herman Mark, known as "the father of polymer physics".[6] The success and dominance of plastics starting in the early 20th century led to environmental concerns regarding its slow decomposition rate after being discarded as trash due to its composition of very large molecules. Toward the end of the century, one approach to this problem was met with wide efforts toward recycling.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic
Due to their relatively low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility, and imperviousness to water, plastics are used in an enormous and expanding range of products, from paper clips to spaceships. They have already displaced many traditional materials, such as wood, stone, horn and bone, leather, paper, metal, glass, and ceramic, in most of their former uses. In developed countries, about a third of plastic is used in packaging and another third in buildings such as piping used in plumbing or vinyl siding.[3] Other uses include automobiles (up to 20% plastic[3]), furniture, and toys.[3] In the developing world, the ratios may be different - for example, reportedly 42% of India's consumption is used in packaging.[3] Plastics have many uses in the medical field as well, to include polymer implants, however the field of plastic surgery is not named for use of plastic material, but rather the more generic meaning of the word plasticity in regards to the reshaping of flesh.
The world's first fully synthetic plastic was bakelite, invented in New York in 1907 by Leo Baekeland[4] who coined the term 'plastics'.[5] Many chemists contributed to the materials science of plastics, including Nobel laureate Hermann Staudinger who has been called "the father of polymer chemistry" and Herman Mark, known as "the father of polymer physics".[6] The success and dominance of plastics starting in the early 20th century led to environmental concerns regarding its slow decomposition rate after being discarded as trash due to its composition of very large molecules. Toward the end of the century, one approach to this problem was met with wide efforts toward recycling.
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic
Vitreous Enamel wiki definition
Vitreous enamel, also called porcelain enamel, is a material made by fusing powdered glass
to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C (1,380 and
1,560 °F). The powder melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth,
durable vitreous coating on metal, or on glass or ceramics.
The term "enamel" is most often restricted to work on metal, which is the subject of this article. Enameled glass is also called "painted". Fired enamelware is an integrated layered composite of glass and metal.
The word enamel comes from the Old High German word smelzan (to smelt) via the Old French esmail,[1] or from a Latin word smaltum, first found in a 9th century life of Leo IV.[2] Used as a noun, "an enamel" is a usually small decorative object, coated with enamel coating.
Enameling is an old and widely adopted technology, for most of its history mainly used in jewelry and decorative art.
Since the 19th century the term applies also to industrial materials and many metal consumer objects, such as some cooking vessels, dishwashers, laundry machines, sinks, and tubs. ("Enamelled" and "enamelling" are the preferred spellings in British English, while "enameled" and "enameling" are preferred in American English.)
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitreous_enamel
The term "enamel" is most often restricted to work on metal, which is the subject of this article. Enameled glass is also called "painted". Fired enamelware is an integrated layered composite of glass and metal.
The word enamel comes from the Old High German word smelzan (to smelt) via the Old French esmail,[1] or from a Latin word smaltum, first found in a 9th century life of Leo IV.[2] Used as a noun, "an enamel" is a usually small decorative object, coated with enamel coating.
Enameling is an old and widely adopted technology, for most of its history mainly used in jewelry and decorative art.
Since the 19th century the term applies also to industrial materials and many metal consumer objects, such as some cooking vessels, dishwashers, laundry machines, sinks, and tubs. ("Enamelled" and "enamelling" are the preferred spellings in British English, while "enameled" and "enameling" are preferred in American English.)
From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitreous_enamel
Wood wiki definition
Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants.
It has been used for thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers (which are strong in tension) embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression. Wood is sometimes defined as only the secondary xylem in the stems of trees,[1] or it is defined more broadly to include the same type of tissue elsewhere such as in the roots of trees or shrubs.[citation needed] In a living tree it performs a support function, enabling woody plants to grow large or to stand up by themselves. It also conveys water and nutrients between the leaves, other growing tissues, and the roots. Wood may also refer to other plant materials with comparable properties, and to material engineered from wood, or wood chips or fiber.
The Earth contains about one trillion tonnes of wood, which grows at a rate of 10 billion tonnes per year[citation needed]. As an abundant, carbon-neutral renewable resource, woody materials have been of intense interest as a source of renewable energy. In 1991, approximately 3.5 cubic kilometers of wood were harvested. Dominant uses were for furniture and building construction.[2]
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood
It has been used for thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers (which are strong in tension) embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression. Wood is sometimes defined as only the secondary xylem in the stems of trees,[1] or it is defined more broadly to include the same type of tissue elsewhere such as in the roots of trees or shrubs.[citation needed] In a living tree it performs a support function, enabling woody plants to grow large or to stand up by themselves. It also conveys water and nutrients between the leaves, other growing tissues, and the roots. Wood may also refer to other plant materials with comparable properties, and to material engineered from wood, or wood chips or fiber.
The Earth contains about one trillion tonnes of wood, which grows at a rate of 10 billion tonnes per year[citation needed]. As an abundant, carbon-neutral renewable resource, woody materials have been of intense interest as a source of renewable energy. In 1991, approximately 3.5 cubic kilometers of wood were harvested. Dominant uses were for furniture and building construction.[2]
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood
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