Materials and Man's Needs Materials Science and Engineering (1974) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
Introduction
Introduction
Pages 1-21
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 1... ...
More specifically: Materials science and engineering is concerned with the generation and application of knowledge relating the composition, structure, and processing of materials to their properties and uses. The multidisciplinary nature of materials science and engineering is evident in the educational backgrounds of the half-million scientists and engineers who, in varying degree, are working in the field.
|
From page 2... ...
The ordinary telephone contains in its not-so-ordinary components 42 of the 92 naturally occurring elements. Polyethylene, an outstanding insulator for radar equipment, is but one of the myriad materials vital to national defense.
|
From page 3... ...
In manned space flights, ablative materials of modest cost are essential to the performance of the heat shield on atmospheric reentry vehicles. New or sharply improved materials are critical to progress in energy generation and distribution.
|
From page 4... ...
They include soft magnetic alloys for memory devices, oriented steels for transformers, high-elasticity phosphor bronze for electrical connectors, and steel sheet for automobile fenders, appliance housings, and other parts formed by deep drawing. The Total Materials Cycle All materials move in a "total materials cycle" (Frontispiece)
|
From page 5... ...
Widespread use of nuclear power could alter sharply the consumption patterns of fossil fuels and the related pressures on transportation systems. The materials cycle can be perturbed in addition by external factors such as legislation.
|
From page 6... ...
Progress in organic polymers for plastics and rubbers, in semiconductors for electronics devices, in strong, light-weight alloys for structural use has bred entire industries and accelerated the growth of others. Engineers and designers have grown steadily more confident that new materials somehow can be developed, or old ones modified, to meet unusual requirements.
|
From page 7... ...
Certain semiconductor materials are perhaps the archetypal example of the conversion of fundamental knowledge to materials that meet exacting specifications. Our basic understanding of most materials, however, falls short of the level required to design for new uses and environments without considerable experimental effort.
|
From page 8... ...
The respective governments were compelled to extricate both complies involved from financial crises, in an atmosphere of sharp debate over domestic and foreign policy. Materials in a Changing Context Materials and the associated science and engineering exist in a social and economic context that has changed markedly in the past five years.
|
From page 9... ...
A: .~ FIGURE 1. Materials in a Boiling-Water Nuclear Reactor Materials shown here in a conventional boiling-water reactor for producing electric power evolved over years of development.
|
From page 10... ...
. (Illustration courtesy of General Electric Company)
|
From page 11... ...
Materials in an Integrated Circuit Among the unusual requirements for semiconducting materials in integrated circuitry and other solid-state electronic devices is the precise processing control of composition and structure in large-scale commercial production of assemblies measured in hundredths and even thousandths of an inch. (Illustration courtesy of Texas Instruments, Inc.)
|
From page 12... ...
At the same time the President asked Congress to authorize a Cabinet-level Department of Energy and Natural Resources and the splitting of the Atomic Energy Commission into an Energy Research and Development Administration and a Nuclear Energy Commission. The energy problem also is reflected in the formation of the Electric Power Research Institute by public and private utilities that account for about 80 percent of the nation's generating capacity.
|
From page 13... ...
National concern for the environment has been recognized in the past few years by extensive federal legislation and by the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Council on Environmental Quality. Environmental matters achieved international status with the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, held in mid-1972 under the aegis of the United Nations General Assembly.
|
From page 14... ...
The federal efforts include the Experimental Techno logy Incentives Program of the National Bureau of Standards in the Department of Commerce and the Experimental RED Incentives Program of the National Science Foundation. Technology Assessment Technology assessment has long been practiced, in varying degree, in both industry and government, but a formal federal apparatus was established only recently by the Technology Assessment Act of 1972.
|
From page 15... ...
15 TABLE 1 U.S. Trade Balance in Illustrative Product Categories (millions)
|
From page 16... ...
. In constant dollars, federal spending on both basic and applied research leveled off in the late 1960's; more recently, spending on basic research has declined slightly, while that on applied research has risen slightly (Figure 63.
|
From page 17... ...
17 FIGURE 4 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SPENDING I N TH E UNI TED STATES 1953 - 72 | AVERAGE ANNUAL RATE OF GROWTH % YEAR TOTAL FED ERAL 1953 -61 13.7 1 961 -67 8.4 1 9 67 - 72 3 . 4 _ CURRENT $ 16.3 7.7 1 .0 l NON FEDERAL 10.1 9.7 6.8 TOTAL 11.3 6.3 -1.0 CONSTANT $ FE DERAL NON FE DE RAL 13.9 7.8 5.6 7.5 -3.3 2.3 $ BILI IONS 27 24 21 18 6 3 o TOTAL DOLLARS '''7 1967\ ~—/FEDERAL DOLLARS CURRENT\ —`' / ~1967 __~ ~ \ ~~rcucrt~c DOLLARS \—,967 CURR E N T 1 1 1 1 1, 1 1 1 1 1 '62 '64 '66 '68 '70'71 '72 est.
|
From page 18... ...
18 FIGURE 5 CONDUCT OF FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (OBLIGATIONS CURRENT DOLLARS) $ BlLLIONs 10 8 _ 6 SPACE 7 _= 0 L I I I I I I I I I 1964 '65 '66 '67 '68 '69 '70 '71 + 9 onto DEFENSE INCLUDI NO AEC WEAPONS 7 1.~1 + 1 5°/0 A LL OTH ER Cl Vl LIAN I ~ .
|
From page 20... ...
The gradual emergence of a more coherent federal approach to materials questions, however, would appear to be implicit in certain developments of the past few years. The Resource Recovery Act of 1970 created a National Commission on Materials Policy, whose charge was "to enhance environmental quality and conserve materials by developing a national materials policy to utilize present resources and technology more efficiently, to anticipate the future materials requirements of the nation and the world, and to make recommendations on the supply, use, recovery, and disposal of materials." The Commission reported to the President and to the Congress in June 1973.
|
From page 21... ...
This concept of "limits to growth," and the related i .dea of ~ "steady-state society," are not within the scope of this study. They are, however, further indications of the changing context in which materials s _ence and engineering exists and in Which, we believe, the field has useful contributions to make *
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.