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Composite and Smart Materials
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Brainstorming
Look at these pictures of sportsmen taken a few decades ago and compare them with
the photos of people doing the same sports today. List the differences you can see in their clothing
and equipment. Then try to identify the types of materials that were used in the past and that are used
nowadays.
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While reading, divide the passage into paragraphs according to the subtopics and underline the main
points (essential information).
TEXT 6
New materials
T
he properties of different materials are a major constraint
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that has to be
taken into account by both designers and engineers.
The development of materials with improved properties, or new combinations of
properties, can have a significant impact on the design of products, it can
lead to solutions to problems where no solution was previously possible.
These are some of the new materials developed during the past century:
- nylon, synthetic rubber, acrylic, polyethylene
- glass reinforced plastic (GRP)
- transistors
- microprocessors
- plasma and LCD displays
- shape memory alloys
- biomaterials and dental composites
- quantum tunnelling composites.
A common mistake is to underestimate just how many new materials and components
are being developed.
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