Transcript Historical background of materials

Historical background of
materials
The Stone Age (pre-2500 BC)
Hard/brittle materials used to make earthenware, tools and weapons.
Stone Age tools
One of the most important
advancements in human history
was the development and use of
tools. Tools allowed hominids to
become the masters of their
environments, to hunt, to build,
and to perform important tasks
that made life easier for them.
The first tools were made out of
stone. Thus, historians refer to
the period of time before written
history as the stone age.
Bronze Age hut
The Bronze Age ( 2500 BC to 500 BC)
Bronze Age tools
Hard, tough material that is quite malleable.
Iron Age hut
The Iron Age ( 500 BC to 1850 AD)
Iron Age tools
These are hard, tough, ductile and cheap. They were used to make
sophisticated tools, bridges, ships etc.
Ironbridge in Shropshire
The world's first cast iron bridge was built over the River Severn at Coalbrookdale in 1779. Not only iron founders
and industrial spies flocked to see this wondrous bridge, but also artists and travellers. The Bridge had a far
reaching impact: on local society and the economy, on bridge design and on the use of cast iron in building. The
story of the bridge's conservation begins in 1784 with reports of cracks in the Southern abutments, and is brought
up to date with the English Heritage sponsored work of 1999.
Old Severn bridge
19th Century: steel (an alloy of iron) became available. This had increased
strength and lower brittleness. This allowed larger structures to be made.
Carbon fibre used to make parts for some cars!
20th Century: composite materials (synthetic) and plastics became available,
which provided greater strength and flexibility together with a low density.
These proved to be particularly useful in the aircraft and civil engineering
industries.
Molecular machine
Future trends: high temperature superconductors; nanotechnology, which
enables new materials to be synthesised at a molecular and atomic level;
advanced materials for electronic and photonic devices (e.g. optical
computing) etc.
Acknowledgements
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Slide 2: http://www.creswellcrags.org.uk/virtuallytheiceage/Stone%20Age%20People/Assets/Cave_image.jpg
Slide 3: http://www.kidspast.com/images/stone-age.jpg
Slide 4: http://www.infobritain.co.uk/Bronze_Age_Hut.jpg
Slide 5: http://www.sindelarmuseum.com/images/sindr3_0600001.jpg
Slide 6: http://www.infobritain.co.uk/Flag_Fen_Iron_Age_Hut.jpg
Slide 7: http://www.huntingdonshire.info/history/images/Plate_II.png
Slide 8: http://cache.virtualtourist.com/654750-The_Iron_Bridge_in_Iron_Bridge-Ironbridge.jpg
Slide 9: http://www.freefoto.com/images/42/12/42_12_3---The-Old-Severn-Bridge_web.jpg
Slide 10: http://www.vicky.in/straightfrmtheheart/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/fer2007.jpg
Slide 11: http://www.anthonares.net/molecular_machine.jpg
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PowerPoint slides compiled by John Mascall of The King’s School, Ely