Dr Nicola Symonds

Unit Head

07917265160

Skip to main content

News

Find out about our latest capabilities and activities. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn for more updates.

Connect with us on LinkedIn


        
            
Battle of the bars!

We put two chocolate bars to the test in a Battle of the Bars… and the results are in! After rigorous 3-point bending tests, the winner is (drumroll….) the KitKat! Our mechanical testing consultant Dr Ben Cunningham found that the Crunchie has an Ultimate Flexural Strength of 180 kPa, the Wispa has 830 kPa, but the KitKat was the clear winner at 1,680 kPa. See the video for footage and graphs. 

Learn more about our mechanical testing capabilities.

Visit to Knightwood Primary School

A really enjoyable visit to Knightwood Primary School where our Director, Professor Nicola Symonds, gave Year 5 pupils a hands-on introduction to key ideas in materials science and structures, with the help of various props including a large foam noodle, paper clips and mugs.

She also answered lots of questions about her failure investigation work, including “What is the biggest thing you’ve ever investigated?” – the answer being a cruise ship!

We were delighted to hear the teacher’s feedback: “It was a memorable learning experience for them which is always what we are looking to achieve!” Hopefully we’ve inspired some future materials scientists…

How much force does it take to pull a Christmas cracker?

Important work in our lab to answer a critical festive question – how much force does it take to pull a Christmas cracker? According to Dr Benjamin Cunningham‘s test, 135 N – equivalent to nearly 14 kg – to break the cracker, and 60 mm extension to make it go bang!