Material Science 3 min read
Intelligent design
Intelligent design (ID), argument intended to demonstrate that living organisms were created in more or less their present forms by…
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Material Science 2 min read
Intermetallic compound
Intermetallic compound, any of a class of substances composed of definite proportions of two or more elemental metals, rather than…
Material Science 4 min read
Silicon carbide
Silicon carbide, exceedingly hard, synthetically produced crystalline compound of silicon and carbon. Its chemical formula is SiC. Since the late 19th century silicon carbide has…
Material Science 6 min read
Ductility
Ductility, Capacity of a material to deform permanently (e.g., stretch, bend, or spread) in response to stress. Most common steels, for example,…
Material Science 5 min read
Phosphorus
Phosphorus (P), nonmetallic chemical element of the nitrogen family (Group 15 [Va] of the periodic table) that at room temperature is a colourless, semitransparent, soft,…
Material Science 5 min read
Silicon
(Group 14 [IVa] of the periodic table). Silicon makes up 27.7 percent of Earth’s crust; it is the second most abundant…
Material Science 7 min read
The Metal
Hot metal (blast-furnace iron) Most blast furnaces are linked to a basic oxygen steel plant, for which the hot metal typically contains 4 to 4.5…
Material Science 2 min read
Cast iron
Cast iron, an alloy of iron that contains 2 to 4 percent carbon, along with varying amounts of silicon and manganese and traces of impurities such as sulfur and phosphorus.…
Material Science 6 min read
Coal gasification
Coal gasification, any process of converting coal into gas for use in illuminating and heating. The first illuminating gas was manufactured from coal in…
Material Science 5 min read
Chemical element
Chemical element, also called element, any substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by ordinary chemical processes. Elements are the…
Material Science 6 min read
Industrial ceramics
Industrial ceramics, Ceramics are broadly defined as inorganic, nonmetallic materials that exhibit such useful properties as high strength and hardness, high…
Material Science 2 min read
Man-made fibre
Man-made fibre, fibre whose chemical composition, structure, and properties are significantly modified during the manufacturing process. Man-made fibres are spun and woven into…
