Flawed Beauty: The Problem with Toughened Glass IELTS Reading
The Flawed Beauty:The Problem with Toughened Glass IELTS Reading examines a candidate’s comprehending skills within the stipulated amount of time. The IELTS reading section comprises passages followed by different kinds of questions to holistically judge a student’s grasping abilities while reading. This particular academic reading Flawed Beauty: The Problem with Toughened Glass IELTS Reading Answers has a passage, which consists of the following types of questions:
- Matching Information Questions
- Summary Completion Questions
- True/ False/ Not Given Questions
To enhance their reading skills, candidates can access the IELTS Reading practice papers on the website.
Check: Get 10 Free IELTS Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for Free Trial Class Now
Section 1
Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions
Flawed Beauty: The Problem with Toughened Glass IELTS Reading
- On 2nd August 1999, a particularly hot day in the town of Cirencester in the UK, a large pane of toughened glass in the roof of a shopping centre at Bishops Walk shattered without warning and fell from its frame. When fragments were analysed by experts at the giant glass manufacturer Pilkington, which had made the pane, they found that minute crystals of nickel sulphide trapped inside the glass had almost certainly caused the failure.
- ‘The glass industry is aware of the issue,’ says Brian Waldron, chairman of the standards committee at the Glass and Glazing Federation, a British trade association, and standards development officer at Pilkington. But he insists that cases are few and far between. ‘It’s a very rare phenomenon,’ he says.
- Others disagree. ‘On average I see about one or two buildings a month suffering from nickel sulphide related failures,’ says Barrie Josie, a consultant engineer involved in the Bishops Walk investigation. Other experts tell of similar experiences. Tony Wilmott of London-based consulting engineers Sandberg, and Simon Armstrong at CLadTech Associates in Hampshire both say they know of hundreds of cases. ‘What you hear is only the tip of the iceberg,’ says Trevor Ford, a glass expert at Resolve Engineering in Brisbane, Queensland. He believes the reason is simple: ‘No-one wants bad press.’
- Toughened glass is found everywhere, from cars and bus shelters to the windows, walls and roofs of thousands of buildings around the world. It’s easy to see why. This glass has five times the strength of standard glass, and when it does break it shatters into tiny cubes rather than large, razor-sharp shards. Architects love it because large panels can be bolted together to make transparent walls, and turning it into ceilings and floors is almost as easy.
- It is made by heating a sheet of ordinary glass to about 620°C to soften it slightly, allowing its structure to expand, and then cooling it rapidly with jets of cold air. This causes the outer layer of the pane to contract and solidify before the interior. When the interior finally solidifies and shrinks, it exerts a pull on the outer layer that leaves it in permanent compression and produces a tensile force inside the glass. As cracks propagate best in materials under tension, the compressive force on the surface must be overcome before the pane will break, making it more resistant to cracking.
- The problem starts when glass contains nickel sulphide impurities. Trace amounts of nickel and sulphur are usually present in the raw materials used to make glass, and nickel can also be introduced by fragments of nickel alloys falling into the molten glass. As the glass is heated, these atoms react to form tiny crystals of nickel sulphide. Just a tenth of a gram of nickel in the furnace can create up to 50,000 crystals.
- These crystals can exist in two forms: a dense form called the alpha phase, which is stable at high temperatures, and a less dense form called the beta phase, which is stable at room temperatures. The high temperatures used in the toughening process convert all the crystals to the dense, compact alpha form. But the subsequent cooling is so rapid that the crystals don’t have time to change back to the beta phase. This leaves unstable alpha crystals in the glass, primed like a coiled spring, ready to revert to the beta phase without warning.
- When this happens, the crystals expand by up to 4%. And if they are within the central, tensile region of the pane, the stresses this unleashes can shatter the whole sheet. The time that elapses before failure occurs is unpredictable. It could happen just months after manufacture, or decades later, although if the glass is heated – by sunlight, for example – the process is speeded up. Ironically, says Graham Dodd, of consulting engineers Arup in London, the oldest pane of toughened glass known to have failed due to nickel sulphide inclusions was in Pilkington’s glass research building in Lathom, Lancashire. The pane was 27 years old.
- Data showing the scale of the nickel sulphide problem is almost impossible to find. The picture is made more complicated by the fact that these crystals occur in batches. So even if on average, there is only one inclusion in 7 tonnes of glass, if you experience one nickel sulphide failure in your building, that probably means you’ve got a problem in more than one pane. Josie says that in the last decade he has worked on over 15 buildings with the number of failures into double figures.
- One of the worst examples of this is Waterfront Place, which was completed in 1990. Over the following decade, the 40 storey Brisbane block suffered a rash of failures. Eighty panes of its toughened glass shattered due to inclusions before experts were finally called in. John Barry, an expert in nickel sulphide contamination at the University of Queensland, analysed every glass pane in the building. Using a studio camera, a photographer went up in a cradle to take photos of every pane.
These were scanned under a modified microfiche reader for signs of nickel sulphide crystals. ‘We discovered at least another 120 panes with potentially dangerous inclusions which were then replaced,’ says Barry. ‘It was a very expensive and time-consuming process that took around six months to complete.’ Though the project cost A$1.6 million (nearly £700,000), the alternative – re-cladding the entire building – would have cost ten times as much.
Section 2
Solution and Explanation
Questions 14-17:
Look at the following people and the list of statements below. Match each person with the correct statement.
Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.
- Trevor Ford
- Graham Dodd
- John Barry
List of Statements
A- suggests that publicity about nickel sulphide failure has been suppressed
B- regularly sees cases of nickel sulphide failure
C- closely examined all the glass in one building
D- was involved with the construction of Bishops Walk
E- recommended the rebuilding of Waterfront Place
F- thinks the benefits of toughened glass are exaggerated
G- claims that nickel sulphide failure is very unusual
H- refers to the most extreme case of delayed failure
- Brian Waldron
Answer: G- claims that nickel sulphide failure is very unusual
Supporting Sentence: ‘The glass industry is aware of the issue,’ says Brian Waldron, chairman of the standards committee at the Glass and Glazing Federation, a British trade association, and standards development officer at Pilkington.
Keywords: Brian Waldron, nickel sulphide, failure, usual
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, Line 1
Explanation: The passage mentions that Brian Waldron says that the glass industry is aware of the issue when glass roofs shatter into pieces and when those pieces are studied, nickel is found in them.
Read More IELTS Reading Related Samples
- Trevor Ford
Answer: A- suggests that publicity about nickel sulphide failure has been suppressed
Supporting Sentence: ‘What you hear is only the tip of the iceberg,’ says Trevor Ford, a glass expert at Resolve Engineering in Brisbane, Queensland. He believes the reason is simple: ‘No-one wants bad press.’
Keywords: Trevor Ford, suggests, publicity, nickel sulphide, failure, suppressed
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, Last two lines
Explanation: The passage states that Trevor Ford mentions that nickel sulphide related cases are suppressed as glass industry does not want to be crticized in the media.
- Graham Dodd
Answer: H- refers to the most extreme case of delayed failure
Supporting Sentence: Ironically, says Graham Dodd, of consulting engineers Arup in London, the oldest pane of toughened glass known to have failed due to nickel sulphide inclusions was in Pilkington’s glass research building in Lathom, Lancashire.
Keywords: Graham Dodd, delayed, failure
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, Lines 5-8
Explanation: Graham Dodd refers to an oldest pane which was 27 years old, known for its toughness, breakdown due to the presence of nickel sulphide.
- John Barry
Answer: C- closely examined all the glass in one building
Supporting Sentence: John Barry, an expert in nickel sulphide contamination at the University of Queensland, analysed every glass pane in the building.
Keywords: John Barry, closely, examined, glass, one building
Keyword Location: Paragraph J, Lines 5-6
Explanation: The passage mentions that John Barry analysed every glass pane of a 40 storey Brisbane block that shattered into pieces.
Questions 18-23:
Complete the summary below using ONE WORD ONLY from the box for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 18-23 on your answer sheet.
Toughened Glass
Toughened glass is favoured by architects because it is much stronger than ordinary glass, and the fragments are not as 18 …… when it breaks. However, it has one disadvantage: it can shatter 19 …… This fault is a result of the manufacturing process. Ordinary glass is first heated, then cooled very 20 ……. The outer layer 21 …… before the inner layer, and the tension between the two layers which is created because of this makes the glass stronger. However, if the glass contains nickel sulphide impurities, crystals of nickel sulphide are formed. These are unstable, and can expand suddenly, particularly if the weather is 22 …… If this happens, the pane of glass may break. The frequency with which such problems occur is 23……. by glass experts. Furthermore, the crystals cannot be detected without sophisticated equipment.
|
A. numerous B. detected C. quickly D. agreed |
Question 18:
Answer: F- sharp
Supporting Sentence: This glass has five times the strength of standard glass, and when it does break it shatters into tiny cubes rather than large, razor-sharp shards.
Keywords: Toughened glass, favoured, architects, stronger, ordinary glass, fragments
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, Lines 3-4
Explanation: The passage mentions that toughened glasses are the first choice of architects as even when they break, the pieces are not razor sharp.
Question 19:
Answer: I- unexpectedly
Supporting Sentence: And if they are within the central, tensile region of the pane, the stresses this unleashes can shatter the whole sheet. The time that elapses before failure occurs is unpredictable.
Keywords: Toughened glass, disadvantage, shatter
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, Lines 1-3
Explanation: The passage mentions that the toughened glass have a disadvantage that they can shatter suddenly due to the tensile strength.
Question 20:
Answer: C- quickly
Supporting Sentence: It is made by heating a sheet of ordinary glass to about 620°C to soften it slightly, allowing its structure to expand, and then cooling it rapidly with jets of cold air.
Keywords: Ordinary glass, heated, cooled
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Lines 1-2
Explanation: The passage mentions that toughened glass is first heated at a particular temperature so that it may expand and then cooled immediately so that the outer layer may contract and solidify.
Question 21:
Answer: K- contracts
Supporting Sentence: This causes the outer layer of the pane to contract and solidify before the interior.
Keywords: Outer layer, inner layer, tension, created, makes, glass, stronger
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Lines 1-3
Explanation: Since toughened glass is made by heating and cooling immediately, the outer layer contracts and solidifies before the inner layer.
Question 22:
Answer: E- warm
Supporting Sentence: It could happen just months after manufacture, or decades later, although if the glass is heated – by sunlight, for example – the process is speeded up.
Keywords: Unstable, expand, suddenly, weather
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, Lines 3-5
Explanation: Nickel sulphide crystals are highly unstable and reacts fastly when exposed to heat. The sunlight may lead to breakage of the glass due to the speeding of nickel sulphide reaction.
Question 23:
Answer: L- disputed
Supporting Sentence: Josie says that in the last decade he has worked on over 15 buildings with the number of failures into double figures.
Keywords: Frequency, problems, occur, glass experts.
Keyword Location: Paragraph I, last line
Explanation: The passage mentions that the cases of glass breaking is a point to argue as nickel sulphide occurs in batches in glass panes and it is impossible to determine such cases yet it is known that the cases are taking place as many have constantly witnessed the glass breakages.
Questions 24-26:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
- Little doubt was expressed about the reason for the Bishops Walk accident.
Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: When fragments were analysed by experts at the giant glass manufacturer Pilkington, which had made the pane, they found that minute crystals of nickel sulphide trapped inside the glass had almost certainly caused the failure.
Keywords: Little, doubt, expressed, reason, Bishops Walks, accident
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, Lines 3-6
Explanation: The cause of Bishop Walks accident was the presence of nickel sulphide in the glass panes as found by experts which left no room for doubts. Hence, the given statement is true.
- Toughened glass has the same appearance as ordinary glass.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
- There is plenty of documented evidence available about the incidence of nickel sulphide failure.
Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: Data showing the scale of the nickel sulphide problem is almost impossible to find.
Keywords: Documented, evidence, available, incidence, nickel sulphide, failure
Keyword Location: Paragraph I, Lines 1-2
Explanation: The passage states that the data related to nickel sulphide failure cases are impossible to find as they occur in batches and if one glass pane has it, it is highly likely others will have it too but they are not documented. Hence the given statement is false.
Comments