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Glossary of NEWLY-DEVELOPED MATERIALS

N-3-1 : Whisker crystals

These fine, Iong-fibred, single crystals – also known as cat's whiskers – have mechanical strength l0-100 times greater than that of crystals in conventional form. They can be used to strengthen the matrices of plastics, metals or ceramics. In the future, whisker crystals are expected to play an important part in the development of strong, Iightweight materials for space, aeronautical and submarine projects.

NEWLY-DEVELOPED MATERIALS

N-3-2-3 : Borazon

Borazon, artificial boron nitride in cubic form, was first produced at extremely high temperature and pressure in laboratory conditions. After further development, the material was made available on a commercial basis for use as an industrial abrasive.
It is 2.5 times harder than corundum and ranks second only to diamond in hardness. However, whereas diamond burns in the region of 870 ºC, the combustion point of borazon exceeds 1,370 ºC and it can be used for dry-grinding processes at very high speed, i.e. for the finishing of machine tools made of hard materials.

NEWLY-DEVELOPED MATERIALS

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