The world of industrial minerals is undergoing a period of rapid change. Traditional mineral products such as copper and steel are being overtaken by new types of materials in a variety of applications.
These materials are especially the latest types of engineering plastics (polymers), composites and fine ceramics. As a group, such materials are generally referred to as advanced industrial materials.
Interviews carried out by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, reported in a 1987 issue of Materials and Society (Volume II, No 2), indicate that: * in 1985, polymer materials displaced 1.3 million short tons (7-9%) of the steel used in U.S. domestic motor vehicle manufacturing and it is estimated that they will, by the year 2000, displace an amount of between 2.7 million and 7.3 million short tons per year. * in 1985, polymers displaced almost 10% of the steel used by the U.S. construction industry and could displace up to 13% by the year 2000; and * the use of composites instead of aluminum in the manufacture of passenger aircraft airframes, currently 20% by weight, might rise to some 80% by the year 2000.
Changes of this magnitude are bound to impinge on Canada’s exports of conventional mineral products to markets in industrialized countries, especially the United States and Japan.
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