13-Enhancement of Materials

Question 1

What is the purpose of enhancing materials?

Answer 1

Improves the materials properties to aid the function of the product

Question 2

Name 5 polymer enhancement techniques?

Answer 2

• Lubricants
• Pigments
• Flame Retardants
• Fillers
• UV Light Stabilisers

Question 3

polymer enhancement - Lubricants

Answer 3

Adding wax to the polymer in molten state will reduce the viscosity of the polymer which allows for more intricate shapes to be formed

Question 4

polymer enhancement - Pigments

Answer 4

Tiny particles that will provide colour to the final product, has aesthetic benefits

Question 5

polymer enhancement - Flame Retardants

Answer 5

• reduce the chance of combustion, or the spread of fire
• Can also stop electrical fires

Question 6

polymer enhancement - Fillers

Answer 6

• Minerals such as chalk are often used to enhance the thermal conductivity of a polymer, making the moulding/forming process much more efficient

Question 7

polymer enhancement - UV light stabilisers

Answer 7

• Prevent polymer bonds from being weakened via the exposure to UV light
• Used in outdoor products such as stadium seats, synthetic grass, sports equipment/toys

Question 8

Name 4 wood enhancement techniques

Answer 8

• Fire Retardant Resins
• Laminations
• Preservatives
• Pigments

Question 9

Wood Enhancement - Fire retardant resins

Answer 9

• Resin is combined with fire retardant cladding
• The resin provides strength and lowers environmental effects on the wood
• The fire retardant cladding stops the likelihood of fire

Question 10

Wood Enhancement - Laminations

Answer 10

Veneers from natural woods are laminated onto manufactured boards to enhance the aesthetics of the timber

Question 11

Wood Enhancement - Preservatives

Answer 11

• Protects wood from fungal and insect attack
• Copper based preservatives are often used as they can penetrate the wood to protect the whole plank

Question 12

Wood Enhancement - Pigments

Answer 12

• Provides colouring to the wood for aesthetic purposes
• Often used on softwoods to make them look like hardwoods

Question 13

5 metal enhancement techniques

Answer 13

• Work hardening
• Annealing
• Case hardening
• Hardening
• Tempering

Question 14

Metal Enhancing - Work hardening

Answer 14

• The metal is cold worked by bending, rolling, or hammering
• The crystals within the metal distort, causing increased tensile strength and hardness
• When the crystals are distorted they cannot move freely within the metal which results in a lack of ductility

Question 15

Metal Enhancing - Annealing

Answer 15

• Used to make work hardened metal easier to work with
• The metal is heated and then slowly cooled allowing the metal crystals to move back into place
• This increases ductility

Question 16

Metal Enhancing - Case Hardening

Answer 16

• Used for hardening the surface of steels that have less than 0.4% carbon content
• Produces a tough, hard exterior while maintaining the original softer properties on the inside
• The first step is Carburising. This is changing the chemical composition of the surface so that it can absorb more carbon to increase hardness
• The last step is Quenching. This is when the metal is quickly cooled in water to seal the hard surface case

Question 17

Metal Enhancing - Hardening

Answer 17

• Used for medium or high carbon steels
• They are heated to alter their crystalline structure, then held at this temperature, and finally quenched in water, oil, or saltwater
• This hardens the metal but also increases brittleness

Question 18

Metal Enhancing - Tempering

Answer 18

• Used to reduce the brittleness of hardened metals
• The metal is heated to just below the critical point, then slowly air cooled
• The tempering colour indicates the temperature at which the brittleness is removed
• The exact temperature will determine how much hardness is removed