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The work of the MTP research group can evidence significant impact upon the field of applied arts practice, industry, public audiences and education through material and process related innovations leading to formal and conceptual advances and their application in social contexts. Exemplary work by Cummings has brought the technique of glass casting into the main stream of studio glass practice; Heeney has reformed industrial working practices concerning traditional cutting boxes and soda-firing for use in architectural scale work; Brennand-Wood has reformed cultural perceptions of ornament through the reinterpretation of textile ornament in the context of cultural and political commentary.
The glass industry uses theoretical modelling to control, improve, and reduce the cost of designing and manufacturing novel glass products. Market-leaders [text removed for publication], Schott AG and Pilkington have developed modelling software which is underpinned by equations stemming from research at the University of Oxford.
[text removed for publication]. The same modelling approach is used in software developed by Schott which is now used in all of its modelling of drawing processes to reduce both development costs and the incidence of faults. Pilkington have implemented research performed at the University of Oxford to decrease the risk associated with manufacturing processes.
Novel low-wear, high-strength glass-ceramics were developed at Queen Mary in 2000-2011 by Dr Cattell's team to prevent facture and wear of dental ceramic restorations. Over three million restorations have been provided for patients and sold in 46 countries. The product has won industry awards for clinical and cosmetic excellence from the Clinical Research Associates and Dental Advisor, who externally assess products for consumers. The product uses a 100% pain-free minimally invasive approach, saving as much as 20% enamel reduction per patient, as tooth preparation and anaesthesia are not required. We also estimate a substantial reduction in tooth enamel wear of 43-46% for this nano-scale product compared to commercial porcelain. It has high patient acceptance and satisfaction, and has received media coverage worldwide.
The Great East Window of York Minster, featuring the Apocalypse in 77 scenes designed by John Thornton of Coventry, 1405-8, is the largest expanse of medieval glass in Britain and one of the world's great masterpieces of monumental painting. Uniquely for any conservation project of the kind, research by four art historians at the University of York has underpinned, shaped and enabled both its conservation and its interpretation. Their research guided the conservation method statement, central to the success of the £10.5 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant that is paying for the conservation work as part of the York Minster Revealed project. The research also continues to inform daily work on every panel through the East Window Advisory Group, of which the York art historians are members. Unprecedented in stained glass conservation, this partnership between scholars and conservators has established a new benchmark for best practice, recognized by national institutions. The York art historians' research has also enabled the display and interpretation of the window to the public, as a central feature of the tourist experience and economy in York, and in other media, including newspapers, television and the worldwide web.
Outstanding both for its quality and quantity, the medieval stained glass of Norfolk represents a major aspect of world heritage. It also supplies a rich resource for artists, museum curators, teachers and local study groups. Under the direction of Carole Rawcliffe, and utilising the academic expertise of David King, a leading authority on medieval glazing, the Norfolk Medieval Stained Glass Project secured funding of £266,888 from the Leverhulme Trust to promote a wider awareness and appreciation of the treasures in our midst and to ensure their (previously threatened) long-term future. Between 2005 and 2010, the project catalogued the surviving glass and documented what had been destroyed. Impact was broadcast via an innovative website and by published materials and exhibitions intended to deliver findings of interdisciplinary significance to an international constituency of museums, historians, teachers, tourists and other members of the general public.
This case study describes the impact of physics research, carried out in the Department of Mathematics and Physics (DMAP), on the small business and social enterprise Ten Green Bottles through the development of specific commercial applications, transfers of technology, and the development of new products. Fundamental research on the atomistic origin of the structural and optical properties of recycled and synthetic coloured glass has provided an opportunity for Ten Green Bottles to gain an economic advantage. The collaboration between DMAP and Ten Green Bottles benefits the enterprise's workforce, whose educational ambitions have been extended through the interaction with DMAP research, and also benefits the local community, whose understanding of physics research has been enhanced through their interaction with Ten Green Bottles.
Projects within the Silicates Research Unit have expanded the aesthetic and technical boundaries of ceramic materials and have had a significant impact on sustainable practices and materials within contemporary design. In response to increasingly stringent sustainable construction legislation, an AHRC Grant (£163,000) funded Binns and Bremner's development of a unique process for converting low-value mineral waste into high-value architectural products, avoiding reliance on non-replenishable materials.
Testing by the Environment Agency National Testing Laboratory has verified their innovative material meets British Standards for architectural materials (UK patent application, currently pending publication). It has also confirmed that the incorporation of Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) lead bearing glass (designated by the Environment Agency as hazardous waste) in the new material results in the lead content being safely encapsulated, offering a solution to the global problem of hazardous CRT waste glass recycling - allowing CRT glass to be re-classified as a safe raw material.