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AQA GCSE - Design and Technology > 2.6 - Metals > Flashcards

2.6 - Metals Flashcards

1
Q

Metals are extracted or seperated from the ____ and refined ready for use.

A

ore

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2
Q

What is electrolysis and what metals can it be used to extract?

A
  • The decomposition (breakdown) of a compound using an electric current.
  • Can only be done on more reactive metals like aluminium, magnesium, calcium, sodium and potassium.
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3
Q

How is aluminium extracted using electrolysis?

A
  • Aluminium is extracted from bauxite.
  • The bauxite is purified to produce aluminium oxide.
  • This is converted to aluminium by electrolysis, a process that passes an electrical current through melted aluminium oxide.
  • The pure molten aluminium is separated and collected.
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4
Q

a less-reactive metal such as iron may be extracted by __________ with carbon.

A

reduction

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5
Q

The method of extraction of a metal from its ore depends on the metal’s position in the ________________.

A

reactivity series

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6
Q

What is liquation?

A
  • Liquation is used with metals with a low melting point, such as tin and lead, to separate the metal from an ore or an alloy.
  • The impure metal is heated inside a sloped container.
  • Once it has melted, the liquid metal runs off leaving behind any impurities.
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7
Q

What is distillation?

A
  • Metals such as mercury and zinc have a low boiling point and can be distilled to remove impurities.
  • When mercury is heated, it will vaporise leaving behind the impurities.
  • The vapour is collected and condensed to produce pure mercury.
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8
Q

How are metals seperated from ore using a blast furnace?

A
  • Metals are separated from the waste material by heating in a blast furnace.
  • Iron is extracted from iron ore by heating it to around 1700°C until it becomes liquid.
  • The liquid descends through the furnace and separates from the waste ore or stag.
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9
Q

What are the required properties for a material used to make a hand tool?

A

Need to be:
- Hard
- Tough
- Resistant to tension and compression
- Ergonomic and comfortable to use

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10
Q

Why is high carbon steel a suitable material to use to make a hand tool?

A
  • High carbon steel is often used for tool making as it is hard, resists abrasion and high pressure.
  • Chromium may also be added to the alloy to add strength and resist distortion.
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11
Q

What are the required properties for a material used to make cooking utensils?

A

Need to be:
- Tough
- Durable
- Corrosion resistant
- Food safe
- Flame and heat resistant
- Safe to handle
- aesthetically pleasing apperance

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12
Q

Why is stainless steel a suitable material to use to make a hand tool?

A
  • Stainless steel is commonly used because it is strong, doesn’t rust easily and is hygienic.
  • It is a poor conductor of heat.
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13
Q

Exam Style Question:
Explain why the blade of a chef’s knife may require different properties from its handle.
[4]

A
  • A knife blade needs to be very hard so that it can be sharpened to a fine edge that maintains its sharpness.
  • The handle (or tang) will need to be tougher and less brittle so that it can does not fracture when pressure is applied.
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14
Q

What is annealing? (Heat treatment)

A
  • Annealing is the process of heating and slowly cooling a metal to alter its properties, reducing its hardness and increasing ductility.
  • Hard, brittle metals can fracture when bent or pressed.
  • Annealing improves the malleability and reduces the risk of fracture.
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15
Q

What is hardening? (Heat treatment)

A
  • Hardening can be applied to steel to improve its mechanical properties.
  • The metal is heated at high temperature which is maintained until some of the carbon content dissolves.
  • The metal is then quenched or rapidly cooled.
  • Hardening increases strength and wear resistance but increases brittleness.
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16
Q

What are nuts and bolts?

A
  • Nuts and bolts are used to join two or more parts together.
  • A bolted joint can be disassembled and reassembled so are important in manufacture.
  • Bolt heads are usually hexagonal for tightening with a spanner or socket set.
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17
Q

What is a washer?

A
  • Thin disc of metal to distribute the load on a nut and bolt fastening.
  • Prevents damage to the surface being fixed.
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18
Q

What are machine screws?

A
  • Machine screws differ from wood screws by having a finer thread and a parallel shank with no point on the end.
  • They are available in different lengths, diameters and with various head shapes.
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19
Q

What are rivets?

A
  • Rivets are used to join sheets of metal together to create a strong and permanent fixing.
  • Riveting is suited to situations where workers cannot access the back of a product such as in tubing or walls.
  • Rivets are used by the aircraft, shipbuilding and automotive industries, where neatness and strength are important, but also allowing for lighter weight.
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20
Q

What are the preferred set of standard components used to fasten and join metals?

A
  • Nuts and bolts
  • Machine screws
  • Rivets
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21
Q

What stock forms are metals normally available in?

A
  • Sheet
  • Rod
  • Bar
  • Tube
  • I-shaped girder
  • U-shaped channel
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22
Q

Why is it important that manufacturers know what stock forms and sizes are available?

A

If stock sizes are known, designs can be manufactured more economically to reduce waste.

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23
Q

What are some different tool used for marking out metal?

A
  • Scriber
  • Steel rule
  • Ball pein hammer
  • Centre punch
  • Engineer’s square
  • Marking blue or layout fluid
24
Q

What is a scriber? (Marking out tool)

A

A sharp point to put a fine scratch on the surface of the metal that is being marked.

25
Q

What is a steel rule? (Marking out tool)

A
  • A precision-made rule that has engraved measurements.
  • More accurate than a plastic ruler and often has half millimetres as well as millimetres
26
Q

What is a ball pein hammer? (Marking out tool)

A
  • A hammer used for metalwork that has a hemispherical head.
  • Used for tapping a centre punch before drilling a hole.
27
Q

What is a centre punch? (Marking out tool)

A
  • A sharp object used for making a dent.
  • The dent is used as a drill point before a hole is drilled into metal so that the drill bit does not slip on the surface.
28
Q

What is an engineer’s square? (Marking out tool)

A

A tool used for marking out at 90° to an edge or face.

29
Q

What is marking blue / layout fluid? (Marking out tool)

A
  • Dye used to coat the surface to be marked
  • If it is hard to see the line made with a scriber then it will be easier to scratch a fine line through the blue dye.
30
Q

What are some tools used for cutting and removing material from the metal?

A
  • Hacksaw
  • Junior hacksaw
  • Files
31
Q

What is a hacksaw (and junior hacksaw)? (Cutting tool)

A
  • A hacksaw is normally used to cut metal by hand.
  • If a smaller piece of metal is being cut, then a junior hacksaw can be used.
32
Q

What is a file? (Cutting tool)

A
  • A file can be used to remove material up to the desired line.
  • Files can be bought in different shapes, sizes and cutting grades.
  • A rough-cut file can remove metal faster than a smooth-cut file and should always be used first.
33
Q

What is silicon carbide paper (‘wet and dry’ paper) used for?

A
  • ‘Wet and dry’ paper is a waterproof abrasive paper.
  • It is normally used to remove file marks.
  • A buffing machine can be used to polish the metal to achieve a mirror-like finish.
34
Q

What are some permenent methods for joining metals?

A
  • Soft soldering
  • Brazing
  • Gas welding/Oxyacetylene welding
  • Arc welding
35
Q

What is soft soldering? (Permenent joining method)

A
  • Used to solder printed circuit boards (PCBs) and electronic components.
  • Plumbing application where copper pipes are joined together.
36
Q

What is brazing? (Permenent joining method)

A
  • Used for joining steel by melting a brass rod on the hot steel.
  • As the brass melts, it forms a joint.
  • Brazing is a slow and safe way to learn about joining metal with heat.
37
Q

What is gas welding/oxyacetylene welding? (Permenent joining method)

A
  • Oxygen and acetylene are used to produce a flame with a temperature of over 3,000°C.
  • A filler rod is melted so that pieces of metal can be joined together.
  • Gas welding is faster than brazing and can also be used to cut metal.
38
Q

What is ark welding? (Permenent joining method)

A
  • Heat is produced by a high current that is passed down the filler rod.
  • When the filler rod melts, it fuses the pieces of metal together.
  • Arc welding is fast and portable.
39
Q

What are the three main methods of shaping metal by a machine in a commercial setting?

A
  • Turning
  • Milling
  • Casting
40
Q

What is turning? (Shaping method)

A

A method of spinning a material so that a cylindrical shape or bowl can be produced.

41
Q

How are metals turned? (Shaping method)

A
  • Metal can be turned in a lathe, which can be hand operated or controlled via a computer on a computer numerical controlled (CNC) lathe.
  • A lathe spins the work at high speed as a cutting tool is introduced to the metal to produce round and cylindrical shapes.
  • Round pieces of metal are held in a lathe using a three-jaw chuck, and metal that is not round is held by a four-jaw chuck.
42
Q

What is milling? (Shaping method)

A

The process of using a machine with a rotary cutter to cut and shape material.

43
Q

How are metals milled? (Shaping method)

A
  • Metal can be shaped using a milling machine - a very versatile tool for smoothing a surface or edge and for cutting grooves and profiles.
  • Milling machines can work either horizontally (horizontal milling machine) or vertically (vertical milling machine)
  • The main difference is the direction the cutting tool is held
44
Q

What is casting? (Shaping method)

A

A method of producing a form by pouring molten liquid into a mould.

45
Q

How are metals sand casted? (Shaping method)

A

Sand casting can be used for larger, more complex shapes as it uses a two-part mould:

  • A former is made and is placed in the ‘green’ sand, which is packed tightly around the former before it is removed. This is repeated on the other part of the mould.
  • Two holes are made in the sand, one for the molten metal to be poured into (the runner) and one for the metal to come up and out the other side (the riser)
  • Parting powder is applied to the sand and the two moulds are placed on top of each other.
  • The molten metal is poured into the runner until it comes up to the riser when the cavity in the sand is full of metal.
46
Q

What is ‘green’ sand (used in sand casting)?

A

Sand used for sand casting - it is not green in colour but is used in a wet state so stays in position in the casting box.

47
Q

Digital micrometers can be used to measure the ______ of a material.

A

width

48
Q

Corrosion occurs when…

A

…the metal reacts with its environment causing an electrochemical reaction.

49
Q

What is a surface finish (metal)?

A

A surface finish provides an impermeable coating to prevent oxidation.

50
Q

If the metal is exposed to _______ and _________ it becomes susceptible to corrosion.

A

oxygen, moisture

51
Q

How are metals prepared before applying a surface treatment?

A
  • Metals must be clean and free of any grease.
  • Surfaces can be prepared with abrasive paper.
  • Sand blasting is used in industry to smooth the surface and remove debris.
  • A primer would be applied to some metals before a final paint finish.
52
Q

What are some different surface treatments used for metals?

A
  • Galvanising
  • Powder coating
  • Plastic dip coating
  • painting
53
Q

What is galvanising? (Surface treatment)

A
  • A protective coating of zinc is added to steel or iron to prevent rusting.
  • Zinc is a more reactive metal than iron so if the item is scratched, the zinc reacts first.
  • Hot dipped galvanising submerges the metal in a bath of molten zinc.
  • It is used on gates, pipes, wire, signage and steel frames.
54
Q

What is a powder coating? (Surface treatment)

A
  • Provides a protective layer to prevent corrosion and for aesthetic reasons.
  • It is applied with a spray gun, giving the particles an electrostatic charge.
  • The metal is grounded which attracts the charged particles.
  • Once coated, the metal is cured in an oven to form a tough bond.
55
Q

What is a plastic dip coating? (Surface treatment)

A
  • Provides a protective or aesthetic plastic coating onto metal parts such as handles to give a soft, insulative grip.
  • Heated metal is plunged into a fluidised bath of plastic powder.
  • The metal is returned to the oven to allow the plastic (often polyethene) to fuse onto it.
56
Q

How are metals painted? (Surface treatment)

A
  • A basecoat or primer is applied first, which will show blemishes that would stand out with paint.
  • Rubbing down again before painting is important.
  • Once the primer coat is perfect, a layer of paint can be brushed or sprayed on.
  • Layers can be built up until the colour is even.
  • A final lacquer coat can be added so that the paint is protected, and the final finish is shiny.
57
Q

Exam Style Question:
Surfaces must often be prepared before adding a treatment.

Explain why a surface should be prepared with abrasive paper, cleaned and free of grease.
[2]

A
  • A rouge surface, known as a ‘key’ needs to be created using abrasive paper
  • This ensures that the treatment property acheres to the surface.
  • Grease and dirt will also prevent adhesion.

AQA GCSE - Design and Technology (25 decks)

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