1.2 Performance Characteristics Of Materials Flashcards
In what direction do wood fibres grow along?
The length of the tree or branch
What do wood fibres consist of?
Hollow cells (tracheids) supported by lignin resin.
What part of the timber is strongest and which is weakest?
Timber is strong in the direction of the grain (along the grain) and weaker across the grain
What are the two types of seasoning?
Air seasoning
Kiln seasoning
How does air seasoning work?
Involves stacking the wood under a shelter, protected from the rain.
Air circulates between the planks to slowly remove the excess moisture
Air seasoned wood is used for what type of products and why?
Air-seasoned wood is used for outdoor wooden products because it is seasoned to the same moisture content as its surroundings and therefore the wood will be less prone to defects.
How does kiln seasoning work?
A more expensive but controlled method which is very quick and can take just a few weeks.
Planks are stacked onto trolleys and placed in the kiln where both temperature and humidity are controlled. Initially, the kiln atmosphere is very steamy but this is graduallly changed to become hotter and drier.
Kiln-dried timber is used for what type of products and why?
Indoor products such as furniture will use kiln-seasoned wood because it has been seasoned to meet indoor conditions and will have a lower moisture content than air-dried wood.
What happens is an unseasonaed plank is placed in a heated room?
It will twist, warp, cup or bow when drying out and cracks or gaps may appear.
Seasoning the wood gives what advantages?
Greater immunity from decay and increased resistance to rot
Increased strength and stability
Helps preservatives to penetrate
Makes wood less corrosive to metals
When ordering wood, how do designers lab it to show how it has been seasoned?
Oak air-dried (A-D) : suitable for exterior use
Oak kiln-dried (K-D) : suitable for interior use
When does wood shrink and expand?
It expands and shrinks with changes in humidity (the amount of water present in the atmosphere ).
How d you reduce the time taken to season wood to the correct moisture content ?
Trees should be felled in the winter when they grow less, have less sap and therefore contain least moisture.
The largest amount of shrinkage occurs after the tree is cut down and while it is being seasoned.
In which direction does wood shrink ?
Almost no shrinkage in the direction of the wood’s grain (lengthwise).
Some shrinkage happens radially (perpendicular to the growth rings), with a greater amount of shrinkage occurring tangentially (along the curvature of the growth rings).
What part of the wood loose the most moisture quickest?
The ends of the wood tend to lose moisture content more quickly than the core.
Sometimes cracks can appear in the plank ends.
Why must care be taken when seasoning the wood?
So that the whole plank will shrink uniformly and usually once the wood has been fully seasoned, any cracks will close as the plank is now in equilibrium throughout.
Why can seasoned wood be susceptible to shrinkage in a house ?
Seasonal changes in ambient humidity but this is less of a concern in modern homes where temperatures are fairly constant due to heating and air conditioning systems.
What are the hardwoods?
Oak
Ash
Mahogany
Teak
Birch
Beech
What are the softwoods?
Pine (European redwood)
Spruce
Douglas fir
Larch
Cedar
What are the manufactured boards?
Plywood
Marine plywood
Aeroply
Flexible plywood
Chipboard
MDF
What are the properties and characteristic of oak?
Hard
Tough
Attractive grain
Good weather resistance
Contains tannic acid which will corrode steel screws or fixings
What are the properties and characteristic of ash?
Tough
Attractive open grain pattern which makes it more flexible
What are the properties and characteristics of mahogany?
Can contain interlocking grain, making it more difficult to work
Rich dark red colour
What are the properties and characteristics of teak?
Hard
Tough
Straight grain
Natural oils resist moisture
Acids and alkalis
What are the properties and characteristics of birch?
Hard
Straight closed grain
Resists warping
What are the properties and characteristics of beech?
Tough
Closed grain
Hard
Available in steamed (white colour) and unsteamed (pink tinge)
Does not impart a taste to good
What are the properties and characteristics of pine ?
Straight grain
Knotty
Can contain resinous knots
What are the properties and characteristics of spruce?
Straight grain
Resistant to splitting
What are the properties and characteristics of douglas fir?
Straight or slightly wavy grain
Few knots
Stable
Good resistance to corrosion
What are the properties and characteristics of larch?
Hard
Tough
Attractive grain patter fades to silver upon exposure outside
Good resistance to moisture
What are the properties and characteristics of cedar?
Straight grain
Con corrode ferrous metals due to acidic nature
Low density
Good sound damping
Good resistance to moisture
What are the properties and characteristics of plywood?
Thin layers of wood are placed and glued at 90 degrees to each other and compressed to form the board.
Good strength in all directions
No grain weakness
Always has an odd number of layers
What are the properties and characteristics of marine plywood?
Similar construction of plywood but is gap and void free and uses special set water and boil proof glue to provide resistance to moisture
Some higher quality marine plywood is also resistant to fungal attack
What are the properties and characteristics of Aeroply?
Plywood made from high quality timer such as birch
Available in very thin sheets
Lightweight
Each to bend around a support frame
What are the properties and characteristics of flexible plywood?
An odd number of layers glued together with two out layers made from open grained timer which allow the sheet to flex
Bent and glued around a former to achieve a solid shape
What are the properties and characteristics of chipboard?
Wood chips compressed with a resin such as urea formaldehyde
What are the properties and characteristics of MDF?
Compressed wood fibres although sometimes urea formaldehyde is added as an additional resin
Two smooth surfaces
Available in other standard grade or veneered with a layer of timer
What are the properties and characteristics of of veneers?
Thin slices of wood less than 3mm thick
What are the properties and characteristics of MF laminates?
Thin sheets of MF polymer
Hard
Tough
Chemical resistant
What are the uses of oak?
Furniture
Flooring
What are the uses of ash?
Tool handles
Sports goods
What are the uses of mahogany?
Indoor furniture
Shop fittings and cabinets
What are the uses of teak?
Outdoor furniture
Laboratory benches
What are the uses of birch?
Furniture
Indoor panelling
What are the uses of beech?
Chopping boards
Children’s toys
What are the uses of pine?
Construction work
Roof beams
What are the uses of spruce?
Indoor furniture
What are the uses of larch?
Garden furniture
Cladding
What are the uses of cedar?
Exterior cladding
Sheds
What are the uses of plywood?
Structural work
Desk tops
What are the uses of marine plywood?
Boat dashboards
Boat lockers
What are the uses of Aeroply?
Gliders
Laminated furniture
What are the uses of flexible plywood?
Laminated furniture
Curved panels
What are the uses of chipboard ?
Kitchen worktops
Flat pack furniture
What are the uses of MDF?
Model making
Furniture items such as bookcases
What are the uses of veneers?
Decorative coverings for manufactured boards
What are the uses of MF laminates?
Decorative covering for chipboard for kitchen worktops
What part of a wood can be a hazard and form a health risk to workers?
The dust and the sap
The toxicity of a wood depends on what?
The species of the wood
Due to the dust of woods, what has to be put in place in industry to stop the health risks?
Employers should ensure that there is adequate personal protection equipment, extraction and ventilation systems in place
What is rough sawn wood?
The wood comes directly from seasoning and has rough surfaces produced from initial conversion.
Rough sawn wood will have nominal sizes rather than accurate finished sizes.
What does PSE stand for?
Planed square edge
What is planed square edge wood?
Wood that has only one she that is planed accurately and the rest are rough sawn.
Planing removed about 3mm from the original nominal size.
What does PAR stand for ?
Planed all round
What is planed all round wood?
Wood that has the sides and edges that are all planed square, straight and level, leaving a smooth finish and is ready to use.
The PAR board is about 3mm smaller all round than the original rough sawn nominal size.
When joining planks of wood, what direction should the grains be ?
The end grains must go in opposing directions to each other. This is to ensure that the internal forces of the wood do not pull the wood in one direction and the top is joined in equilibrium.
What are the advantages of manufactured boards?
Available in long, wide birds of uniform thickness and quality
Very stable, not affected by room temperature and humidity as much as solid wood
Uniform strength across the board, no grain problems
Difficult to split and available in flexible thin sheet form
Generally less expensive than solid wood of a similar size
Veneers can be applied to the surface for enhanced aesthetics
What are some examples of mouldings ?
Skirting boards
Wooden trims
What are metals?
Naturally occurring material and is mined from the ground in the form of ore.
How is raw metal extracted from the ore?
A combination of crushing, smelting and heating, with the addition of chemicals and huge amount of electrical energy
Can metals be recycled ?
Most metals can be recycled, saving natural resources and limiting the amount of materials imported from abroad.
What are the non-ferrous metals?
Aluminium
Copper
Zinc
Silver
Gold
Titanium
Tin
What are the ferrous metals ?
Low carbon steel
Medium carbon steel
Cast iron
What are the ferrous alloys?
Stainless steel
High speed steel (HSS)
Die steel ( tool steel )
What are the non-ferrous alloys?
Bronze
Brass
Duralumin
Pewter
What are the properties and characteristics of aluminium?
Lightweight
Ductile
Malleable
Corrosion resistant
Electrical and thermal conductor
Can be metal inert gas and tungsten inert gas heat welded
What are the properties and characteristics of copper?
Ductile
Malleable
Tough
Corrosion resistant
Good electrical and thermal conductor
Can be soldered and brazed
What are the properties and characteristics of zinc?
Low melting point
Good corrosion resistance
What are the properties and characteristics of silver?
Malleable
Ductile
Corrosion resistant
Can be soldered
What are the properties and characteristics of gold?
Malleable
Ductile
Corrosion resistant
Can be soldered
What are the properties and characteristics of titanium?
Hard
Similar strength to steels but more lightweight
High resistance to corrosion
What are the properties and characteristics of tin?
Ductile
Malleable
Low melting point
Corrosion resistant
What are the properties and characteristics of low carbon steel?
Ductile
High tensile strength
Tough
Malleable
Poor resistance to corrosion
What percentage of low carbon steel is carbon content ?
0.15-0.30%
What are the properties and characteristics of medium carbon steel?
Harder than low carbon steel but less ductile, malleable and tough
What percentage of medium carbon steel is the carbon content ?
0.30-0.70%
What are the properties and characteristics of cast iron ?
Hard outer skin but brittle core
Good under compression
What percentage of cast iron is carbon ?
3.5%
What are the properties and characteristics of stainless steel?
Tough
Hard
Corrosion resistant
What are the properties and characteristics of high speed steel?
Hard
Tough
High level of resistance to frictional heat
What are the properties and characteristics of die steel?
Hard
Tough
What are the properties and characteristics of bronze?
Tough
Corrosion resistant
Can be cast
What are the materials in bronze and what percentages do they make up ?
90% copper
10% tin
What are the properties and characteristics of brass?
Corrosion resistant
Good electrical and thermal conductor
Low melting points
Casts well
What are the materials in brass and what percentages do they make up ?
65% copper
35% zinc
What are the properties and characteristics of duralumin?
Equivalent strength properties to low carbon steel but more lightweight and ductile
Becomes harder as it is worked
What are the properties and characteristics of pewter?
Malleable
Low melting point
Casts well
What materials make up pewter and what are their percentages?
85-99% tin
The remainder consists of copper and antimony
What are the uses of aluminium?
Drinks cans
Aircraft bodies
Bike frames
What are the uses of copper?
Electrical wire
Printed electrical circuits
Water pipes
What are the uses of zinc?
Galvanising steel as a protective coating for dustbins
Buckets
Farm gates
What are the uses of silver?
Jewellery
Cutlery
Plating other materials
What are the uses of gold?
Jewellery
Electronic components
Connectors
What are the uses of titanium?
Joint replacements
Tooth implants
Spectacle frames
What are the uses of tin?
Soft solder
Coatings for food cans
Rarely used in pure form