Materials Science and Engineering for the 1990s Maintaining Competitiveness in the Age of Materials (1989) / Chapter Skim
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Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Pages 1-18
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From page 1... ...
Each of the panels submitted detailed reports to the Committee on Materials Science and Engineering. The charge to the Committee on Materials Science and Engineering was "to present a unified view of recent progress and new directions in materials science and engineering and to assess future opportunities and needs." The committee conducted this study with a view to developing the consensus implied by the phrase "unified view." The objective of cultivating this consensus in the very diverse materials science and engineering community was taken no less seriously than that of carrying out the scientific and engineering assessment contained in this report.
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manufacturing success and ability to compete in global markets is treated in Chapter 7. All the major industrialized nations surveyed are revealed to have a strong commitment to industrial growth, stimulated by coordinated R&D in materials; the governments of all of these countries actively foster cooperative mechanisms to enhance competitiveness.
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· There is considerable overlap in the generic materials problems of the eight industries studied; solutions to many of these problems lie at the forefront of research in materials science and engineering. Two pervasive elements of materials science and engineering that appeared throughout the industry surveys were (1)
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For example, artificially structured materials can be built up from selected atoms one atomic layer at a time. This reality is deepening and reshaping the concept of what materials science and engineering is.
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These conclusions surfaced in discussions of research opportunities in structural, electronic, magnetic, photonic, and superconducting materials. From strip casting of metals through the synthesis of new nonlinear optical media in photonic materials, advances in technologies that depend on performance at the cutting edge to remain competitive require the best cooperative contributions of engineering and science.
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Thus the committee concludes: Materials science and engineering is emerging as a coherent field. ~ An effective national materials science and engineering program requires healthy, balanced, and interactive efforts spanning basic science and technology, all materials classes, and the four elements of the field: properties, performance, structure and composition, and synthesis and process~ng.
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Materials science and engineering can be advanced by exploiting this leadership in several areas, from the calculation of electronic-based structures, through simulation of nonequilibrium processes, to real-time monitoring and control of processing. The committee concludes: · Progress in the four elements of materials science and engineering can be enhanced through increased R&D on and use of advanced instrumentation ranging from the laboratory-bench scale to major national user facilities, and through increased emphasis on computer modeling and analysis of materials phenomena and properties based on the underlying physical and chemical principles.
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These different approaches will continue to be needed. The surveys of eight industries referred to above suggest that industry leaders generally consider collaboration with universities desirable and in some cases even essential to address materials problems that must be solved to meet international competition.
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· Large multidisciplinary teams are an effective mode for addressing industrial materials science and engineering problems. · At the national level, industry, university, and government laboratories have the technical strength to mount major efforts and to exploit breakthroughs in the field.
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The committee's first recommendation is as follows: · The national program should include strong efforts in all four basic elements of materials science and engineering—synthesis and processing, structure and composition, properties, and performance. The program should include work that explores the relationships among the four elements and that spans the range from basic science to engineering.
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Some examples of areas representing opportunities for research to improve performance include prediction of the strength and lifetime of complex components and devices, development of improved nondestructive testing techniques, and modeling of systems for optimum material and process selection. The committee recommends: ~ Research on performance (including quality and reliability)
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industry is losing its ability to take basic inventions in this area and convert them into business opportunities. The effect of this deterioration in capability is that advanced instrumentation does not diffuse rapidly throughout the academic and industrial research communities.
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On a national level, such investigations can involve cooperative use of a synchrotron light source or a new facility for processing. The committee therefore recommends: · A balanced national program of resources, including major national user facilities for materials science and engineering, materials research laboratories, and other regional facilities, should continue to be developed.
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Government laboratories should play a central role in this effort. Recognizing and Developing Unifying Trends in the Field of Materials Science and Engineering Finding: The broad conclusions of this study are that the field of materials science and engineering encompasses all materials classes; that it spans the full spectrum from basic science to engineering; and that its relation to industrial and other societal needs is strong.
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Many ways exist to achieve such a coupling between universities and industry, including joint research activities, joint teaching responsibilities, lifelong education, adjunct professorships, personnel exchanges, scholarship and fellowship support, and support of junior faculty. The committee recommends: · Industry and universities should each take the initiative to work together in materials science and engineering with or without government as a partner.
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Finding: The government plays a leading role in advancing materials science and engineering by supporting basic research at universities and at national laboratories, constructing and operating major user facilities, supporting the enhancement of generic technology in collaboration with industry, performing materials science and engineering germane to the specific missions of each government agency, and developing test methods and reference materials needed for accuracy in characterization of materials. Finding: The government has additional opportunities to advance materials science and engineering by taking a more active role in the following facilitative functions: 1.
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The government should communicate a continuing assessment of the needs of industry that were identified in the eight industry surveys described in Chapter 2 to all members of the materials science and engineering community, including the agencies responsible for supporting materials research.
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The federal laboratones, especially the National Institute of Standards and Technology in its new role, could play a useful role in establishing test procedures, setting standards, assembling data collections, and transferring the technology to industry. · The committee endorses the goals adopted by the Congress in setting up the National Critical Materials Council, which should work with other agencies to ensure that the government carries out the facilitative functions as well as the more specific tasks identified above.
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