| RefNo | EC/1976/37 |
| Previous numbers | Cert XX, 37; A56019 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Watt, William: certificate of election to the Royal Society |
| Date | 1969 |
| Description | Citation typed |
| Citation | Distinguished for his work in physical chemistry. Watt initially worked on high M.Pt. oxides and carbides. In 1952, he started work on carbon, the highest M.Pt. element and investigated the preparation, structure, and properties of a highly-ordered carbon made by pyrolysis of hydrocarbons, and the results stimulated much academic work throughout the world. Watt then developed a non-permeable graphite required as a canning material for the Dragon High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor. He started investigating the preparation of carbon fibres from synthetic fibres in 1963. Using a polyacrylonitrile fibre, Watt did ingenious research into the relations between tension and length changes when the fibres are subjected to an oxidation treatment and on their subsequent Young's moduli and structure when pyrolysed at various temperatures. The chemical reactions have been studied with especial reference to structure, which was his objective. The successful production of high-modulus carbon fibres in the U.K. is the direct outcome of Mr. Watt's researches and patents. Incorporated into resins, they give a range of strong, stiff, and light materials, which have already led to major new developments in Engineering Design and offer the most promising future prospects. |
| AccessStatus | Closed |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA1585 | Watt; William (1912 - 1985) | 1912 - 1985 |