The UK economy is said to have clawed its way out of its deepest recession since the 1930s, but are we out of the woods yet? Gary Price and Rachel Connolly talk to representatives from various technical communities about the difficult financial year that has passed and what may lie ahead.
Materials Congress 2010 – Materials for Extreme Environments and
Times is inviting papers until 31 March. To be held from 20-23
September in Kuala Lumpur, the technical programme will explore materials and processes that can meet industry and society demand.
The Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC) led by the University of Sheffield with Rolls-Royce and supported by the University of Manchester will be based at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Sheffield.
The latest issue of the journal Tribology: Materials, Surfaces & Interfaces presents a selection of papers on the theme of nanotechnology. Edited by Professor Dr Ing Wilfried Bartz (Technische Akademie Esslingen, Germany) and Professor Anne Neville and Dr Tomasz Liskiewicz (University of Leeds, UK), the issue comprises contributions on the tribological behaviour of nanostructured materials and thin films, including interaction with lubricants, and mechanical and surface characterisation at the micro- and nano-scale.
A UK consortium is modelling how trisiloxane surfactants ‘superspread’ across hydrophobic surfaces at the nanoscale. The aim is to develop guidelines for synthesising safer surfactants and provide advice on how to control the stages of spreading to suit a particular application
Improving the oxidation resistance of carbon-containing refractory bricks and the wettability of castables is the focus of research at the University of Sheffield, UK. This could enhance furnace lining life and performance to benefit the metallurgical processing industries.
Two materials-related CPD events will take place during the Surface
Design Show 2010 in London, UK: Future Intelligence in Material
Application, and Sustainable Concretes and Surface Innovation.
