PLASTICS. Synthetic plastic materials are now being used in almost every type of industry for one purpose or another

Synthetic plastic materials are now being used in almost every type of industry for one purpose or another. They are available in practically all colours and for almost all purposes where metal can be used, except where a very high degree of strength is required. They are lighter in weight than any common metals and are sufficiently hard to take the place of metal parts for most purposes.

Plastics are synthetic in the sense that they do not occur naturally. The molecules are composed principally of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, which are derived from petroleum, coal, salt, air and water. Their properties depend, to some extent, on size of the molecules of which they are composed.

In early stages of manufacture most plastics are monomers composed of small single molecules, but under the influence of heat, or of heat and pressure, or of chemical catalysts these small molecules combine to form long-chain molecules which make up solid or semisolid structures. This process is called "polymerization".

The modern plastics industry deals chiefly with materials manufactured from organic compounds.

2. Скласти міні-словник.

Контрольні питання

1. Які є особливості перекладу технічних термінів?

2. Чому потрібно додержуватись принципу «єдності термінології»?

3. Чим можна пояснити «сухість» викладу технічного тексту?

Література: [7, с. 58-62; 8, с. 138-142].