Materials World - all features 2013

Gerard van den Hondel studies ways of reducing energy and costs in conveyer belt transportation of minerals

Guy Richards highlights R&D relating to bioleaching

Rachel Lawler looks at upgrades taking place on railways across the UK

Rhiannon Garth Jones finds out about some of the buildings behind the success of London 2012

With university tuition fees reaching £9,000 a year, apprenticeships are
an increasingly attractive alternative for many young people. But how
do they compare with higher education? And how might this affect
employers?

Titanium is a transition metal, aptly named for its strength equivalent to some steels while being 45% lighter. Its biomedical applications, especially, demonstrate how modern materials science has improved life quality for millions of people.

Uranium mining brings with it a host of issues as well as benefits.
Nevertheless, demand is on the rise for the foreseeable future, says
Mark Kenwright, Associate Director of Geology and Resources at Wardell
Armstrong International.

Materials World explores the changing nature of gas turbine operating
regimes and the impact this has on materials selection, in particular
the ceramic thermal barrier coatings applied to turbine blades.

Marion Ingle and Simon Clarke, from materials consultancy firm Sandberg
LLP, UK, examine some causes of reduced performance of phenolic foam in
construction insulation applications, and explain how these can be
prevented and resolved.

As the UK Government pledges an extra £60m funding to the UK Space
Agency for Europe’s space programme, Materials World looks at the sector’s
robust response to skills shortages.

Maria Felice examines plastic...

Mark Godden, Quarry and Mine Manager at Albion Stone, explains the challenges of mining in an environmentally sensitive area

The materials and technology behind the Hawkei protected mobility vehicle from Thales that is set to join Australia's defence force fleet.

Synthetic diamond is enhancing the termal management of semiconductors

A round-up of your feedback on the magazine and how we are responding

Michael Forrest talks to Wally Bucknell, CEO of Atlantic Gold NL, an
Australian company in near production of gold in Nova Scotia, Canada

The risks associated with resource nationalism can ruin a mining project
in a foreign country. Guy Richards looks at the main forms in which it
comes and the strategies companies adopt to manage it

In March 2013, the UK Government confirmed nuclear as a key future
low-carbon energy source when it announced a new, long-term nuclear
strategy. Professor Andrew Sherry of The University of Manchester’s
Dalton Nuclear Institute and Professor Robin Grimes of Imperial College
London, both UK, discuss the critical materials challenges involved

Tim Probert explores the steps being taken by the world’s leading power
grid equipment manufacturers to create a cost-effective, efficient high voltage DC circuit
breaker

Our list of 35 under 35 year-olds who have excelled in engineering and materials science

Rachel Lawler looks at the latest developments in microscopy and analysis equipment

Unconventional gas exploration and production in China

The apps every materials scientist should have on their smartphone or tablet

Dr Valeska Ting and Chris Bowen look at materials for energy-efficient transport and the MEET project

Dr Kevin Cooke, R&D Technology Centre Manager for Miba Coating Group
at Teer Coatings Ltd in Worcestershire, UK, talks to Materials World
about the development of coatings to meet the ongoing needs of the
automotive sector.

Is it possible to produce frictionless material? Self-adaptive
nanostructures could lead to huge friction reduction, say Dr Tomas
Polcar from the University of Southampton, UK, and Professor Albano
Cavaleiro from the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

Ian Levy, CEO of Australian Bauxite, talks about the
aluminium market and his company’s projects to develop new mines in
Australia.

Materials World speaks to Malagasy Presidential candidate Dr Emma
Rasolovoahangy about the challenges the country faces in exploiting its
abundant natural resources.

Maria Felice looks at how aggregated diamond nanorods have improved wear resistance and now form one of the toughest materials available

A single man is responsible for shaping much of the scientific vocabulary commony used today. Professor Claire Preston from the University of Birmingham highlights the most prolific wordsmith in the language of science

Director of The Ames Laboratory, Alex King, speaks to Materials World about the research they are involved in and the work being done with critical materials in the energy sector

Rare earth elements are not as scarce as is commonly believed. The real issue surrounds the extraction, processing and environmental costs of their production

Maria Felice considers the technology that propels millions of people to
their holiday destinations each year – aeroplane engines.

As Crossrail, Europe’s largest civil engineering project, reaches the halfway point of construction, Simon Pugh, Lead Engineer in the Route Control Centre for Crossrail, talks to Michael Forrest about how it is built and how it will be run.

Dr Charles Marsden, Technical Director at Dynamic-Ceramic, UK, talks to Materials World about ceramic materials.

Proving that a material can withstand the force of a bullet is one thing. Predicting it's response can is quite another. A collaborative research project is helping to increase understanding of ceramic materials for armour.

Rachel Lawler looks at the range of options open to declining numbers of materials science graduates

Maria Felice looks at the varied uses of, and changes to, aluminium foil over the years

Australia has sizeable Uranium deposits but extraction is difficult. Alan Eggers tells Micheal Forrest how they will be accessed.

The US Government’s Conflict Minerals Rule, issued in August 2012,
will have an effect on these materials' supply, but how will it affect industry?

Dr Debra Carr of the Impact and Armour Group at Cranfield Defence and
Security, UK, describes her latest findings in forensic textile science after a recent overseas
research trip.

You might think of voluntary work as something only those at the start
of their career should be interested in, but the range of opportunities
available make it a great option at any point in your career. Rachel
Lawler considers how volunteering could benefit you

Mass spectrometry is finding wider applications in materials analysis.
Rachel Lawler looks at some of the new equipment available

In an age of
rapidly advancing technology, supercomputing is pushing materials
science into the fast lane. John Conti-Ramsden, Richard Anderson and
Sebastian Metz from the Knowledge Centre for Materials Chemistry, UK,
examine the many applications of materials modelling

Recent deepsea exploration looks set to put Tanzania on the commercial
energy map. Martin Cox, Technical Business Development Consultant at
Aberdeen Drilling Management Ltd, examines the challenges the country
faces in exploiting its vast natural gas reserves

The effectiveness of heat treatment is directly linked to the
effectiveness of the oven used. Rachel Lawler looks at some of the
improved products available.

Modern analogs could help develop mines in some of the world’s oldest
geological terranes. Michael Forrest finds out more from Glen Kuntz, CEO
of Canadian exploration company Mega Precious Metals Inc.

Mike Wilson and Dr Stuart Hambling, metallurgists at BAE Systems
Maritime-Submarines, discuss the techniques that were developed during
the construction of the Royal Navy’s most sophisticated and powerful
nuclear submarine ever to set sail from British waters.

Brian Hall, Materials Project Engineer at the Westinghouse Materials
Center of Excellence, USA, describes new initiatives to extend nuclear
plant service-life.

Last April, the Oil Patch Warrior statue at Duke’s Wood in Nottinghamshire was damaged by thieves attempting to steal it for the scrap metal.

Detecting faults and weaknesses is a key task in many industries. Rachel
Lawler looks at some of the testing equipment available. 

Combining gold tenements in areas of existing mining has reaped rewards
for one Australian company. Michael Forrest investigates one company’s
path to success. 

Dr Chris O’Connor, Business Manager – Utilities, at GL Noble Denton,
looks at electrofusion and pipe preparation in the second of a two-part
series examining polyethylene pipeline systems.

Application specialists from international analysing and testing company
Netzsch explain how thermal analysis of high-tech composite materials
is helping to meet the needs of the automotive industry