New Materials

Brief Particulars of Recently Introduced Materials likely to have Aircraft, Missile or Space Vehicle Applications. The whole business of metal forming may be turned completely upside down due to the development of new alloys which can be pushed, pulled or stretched into the required shape almost as easily as a piece of chewing gum. Because these ‘superplastic’ metals need precise heating to facilitate the shaping operation the Electricity Council Research Centre at Capenhurst, Cheshire is studying the conditions under which materials exhibit superplasticity as well as the associated processing techniques to ensure that the necessary know‐how is available to industry when superplastics come into widespread use.