 |
|
Alternative steel loses its Achilles heel
January 31, 2003Improved domestic and industrial cutting tools, stronger hip joints and better medical instruments should result from latest research looking at ceramic alternatives to steel.
The key to these advances lies in zirconia, a ceramic with steel-like strength and hardness and high resistance to wear and chemical corrosion. It is potentially well suited to industrial, medical and other uses. Zirconia blades, for example, are much sharper and smoother than conventional steel ones, are better for precision cutting and last up to 50 times longer.
The work is being carried out by materials researchers at the University of Sheffield, with funding from the Swindon based Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
To date, zirconia's use has been limited by its loss of strength and its subsequent cracking when subjected to temperatures of 100-600°C in the presence of water - a process known as hydrothermal degradation. Using state of the art techniques and working at the nanoscale, the research team has inhibited this process by adding trace quantities of materials such as alumina to the zirconia, without compromising its toughness. (One nanometer is one thousand millionth of a metre.) Targeting of the added materials prevents degradation from progressing into the zirconia from its surface.
The success of the work has been built on collaboration with the Universities of Glasgow and Leeds, as well as with Dynamic Ceramic, a small UK company. Sheffield University has provided scientific underpinning for the company, allowing it to develop a production route for a zirconia that is resistant to hydrothermal degradation.
Overall leader of the research is Professor Mark Rainforth of Sheffield University's Department of Engineering Materials. Professor Rainforth says: "Increased industrial productivity and improved comfort for hip replacement patients are just two of the many benefits that could result from overcoming zirconia's Achilles heel".
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Science Research Departments
Earth Science
Alternative Energy | Anthropology and Archaeology | Earthquakes and Volcanoes | Environment and Nature News | Global Warming | High-Energy and Particle Physics | Ozone Hole | Scientists Slow Light | Tsunami
Space Science
Astronomy and Space News | Black Holes | Chandra X-Ray Observatory | Extrasolar Planets | Hubble Telescope | International Space Station | Jupiter Galileo Mission | Jupiter Cassini Mission Flyby | Mars Exploration | Mars Odyssey 2001 | Mars Global Surveyor | Mars Polar Lander | Mars Climate Orbiter | Mars Pathfinder | Meteors and Asteroids | Mir Space Station | NEAR Asteroid Probe Mission | Pluto Planet Debate | Search for Extraterrestrial Life | Space Shuttle Program | Space Shuttle Mission: STS-102 | Space Weather
Life Science
Animal News | Biotechnology and Genetics | Brain Research | Human Cloning | Dinosaur and Fossil Discoveries | Endangered Species | Gene Therapy | Genetically Modified Food | Stem Cell Research | Whales and Whaling
 | The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! (Everything Kids Series) by Tom Robinson The Everything "RM" Kids' series is being relaunched at a phenomenal new price! They're the same great quality you've come to expect, still packed with tons of activities and puzzles in two-color -- now with a lower price that everyone can appreciate! Stock up on these perennial bestsellers that keep your kids active and engaged. The wide scope of subject material -- from jokes to science... |
 | Science Fair by Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson Grdankl the Strong, president of Kprshtskan, is plotting to take over the American government. His plan is to infiltrate the science fair at Hubble Middle School, located in a Maryland suburb just outside Washington. The rich kids at Hubble cheat by buying their projects every year, and Grdankl's cronies should have no problem selling them his government-corrupting software. But this year, Toby... |
 | The Science of Good Food: The Ultimate Reference on How Cooking Works by David Joachim, Andrew Schloss, A. Philip Handel The science of cooking is the most fascinating and influential development in cuisine. Award-winning chefs and cutting-edge restaurants around the world are famous for using the principles of chemistry and physics to create exciting new taste sensations. From Ferrán Adrià of El Bulli restaurant in Spain to Homaro Cantu of Moto in Chicago, great chefs combine unexpected textures and flavors... |
 | Pop Bottle Science by Lynn Brunelle It's pure bottled magic! A complete kit that ingeniously marries science and fun in the breakthrough vein of The Bug Book & Bug Bottle (1.7 million copies in print) and The Bones Book & Skeleton (1.65 million copies in print), Pop Bottle Science presents 79 easy, hands-on experiments that probe the worlds of chemistry, physics, biology, geology, weather, the human body, and even astronomy.The Pop... |
 | The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science: 64 Daring Experiments for Young Scientists by Sean Connolly What could be more fun for kids than to have the kind of rip-roaring good time that harkens back to pre-video game, pre-computer days? Introducing 64 valuable science experiments that snap, crackle, pop, ooze, crash, boom, and stink! From Marshmallows on Steroids to Home-Made Lightning, the Sandwich Bag Bomb to Giant Air Cannon, The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science awakens kids' curiosity... |
 | On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is a kitchen classic. Hailed by Time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, On Food and Cooking is the bible to which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious.Now, for its twentieth... |
 | 365 Simple Science Experiments with Everyday Materials by E. Richard Churchill, Louis V. Loeschnig, Muriel Mandell Illustrated by Frances Zweifel. The fundamentals of science are brought to life in a year's worth of fun and educational hands-on experiments that can be performed easily and inexpensively at... |
 | The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2008 (The Best American Series) "The articles . . . draw the reader more tightly into the web of the world. They forge links in unexpected ways. They connect us to nature and to each other, and those connections nourish the intellect and uplift the spirit."—Jerome Groopman, M.D., editorThis year's Best American Science and Nature Writing offers another rich assortment of "fascinating science and impressive journalism" (New... |
 | Everything Kids’ Magical Science Experiments Book: Dazzle your friends and family by making magical things happen! (Everything Kids Series) by Tom Robinson Want to make things disappear? Change salt to sugar? Create slime using items found in your kitchen? Well, with The Everything Kids' Magical Science Experiments Book, you can do just that--and more! Filled with more than 50 science experiments that bend the rules of time, space, and logic, The Everything Kids' Magical Science Experiments Book shows you how to unlock the mysteries of... |
 | Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting (Spanish Edition) by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, Paul Fuqua An amazing (and some would say magical) resource on photographic lighting that has been talked about in the community and recommended for years. This highly respected guide has been thoroughly updated and revised for content and design - it is now produced in full color! It introduces a logical theory of photographic lighting so if you are starting out in photography you will learn how to... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |