Sky News turned to Brunel University London’s metal engineering experts yesterday to comment on the structural design of the new £1 coin, in light of the revelation that thousands of the coins have been falling apart.
The film crew came to Brunel’s labs to join Eric Nyberg, Director of Programmes at the Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), who had been studying the coin under the microscope.
Nyberg believes that the nickel plating, which gives the pound its shiny centre, might also be causing it to fall to bits.
“What we have here is the interface between the outer nickel–brass material and the nickel-plated material on the centre blank here,” explained Nyberg.
“Just imagine a very brittle material between two plates of glass. It’s going to break and slide, as opposed to if you have two materials that are joined solid. Two pieces of metal fused together – they’re going to be very difficult to remove.”
The news segment was repeated throughout the evening as part of Sky News’s rolling news coverage.
BCAST is an academic research centre focusing on both fundamental and applied research on the solidification of metallic materials. With expertise in metallurgical science, manufacturing technology, industrial applications and more, BCAST develops and exploits innovative and sustainable technologies – and enables the metal casting industry and its customers to improve their competitiveness in global markets.
Read more about the Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST).
Reported by:
Joe Buchanunn, Media Relations
joe.buchanunn@brunel.ac.uk
