Ceramics are non-metallic, inorganic solids covering a broad range of engineering materials, from bricks and tiles commonly used in construction to high performance technical ceramics such as tungsten carbide, one of the hardest and stiffest materials used in industry. They exhibit good environmental and thermal resistance, and perform well across a range of demanding engineering applications.
During this project a number of prestressed ceramic structures were designed, constructed and tested in order to investigate the effectiveness of prestressing in improving the structural performance of common brittle materials.
Assessor and ICE Cambridge Branch member Greg Guthrie said: of the project: "It was a thorough well written report. It was interesting to note that brittle materials other than concrete could be strengthened by pre-stressing. Will immersed himself in the project and coped well with the challenges of the topic especially the experimental work."
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