Materail Categories Flashcards
Adehisive
A substance which bonds surfaces of materials together
Aesthetic
How something looks
Alloy
A mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal
Biodegradable
Material that can be broken down in the environment by microorganisms
Brittle
If something is brittle it is easily broken
Coniferous
Trees that do not lose their leaves during autumn to prepare for winter
Crude oil
Mixture of hydrocarbons, mainly alkanes, formed over millions of years from the remains of ancient dead marine organisms
Deciduous
Trees that lose their leaves during autumn to prepare for winter
Degrade
To break down and deteriorate
Density
Compactness of a material
Extraction
The process of obtaining a metal from a mineral, usually by reduction or electrolysis
Fibre
Single, hair-like strands that derive from either natural or synthetic sources
Insulator
Material that is a poor conductor of electricity or heat
Non-ferrous
A metal that does not contain iron
Non renewable
A resource that cannot be replaced when it is used up, such as oil, natural gas or coal
Ore
A rock containing enough quantities of a mineral for extraction to be possible
Pliable
Flexible and easy to bend
Polymer
A large molecule formed from many identical smaller molecules known as monomers
Refined
Remove unwanted substances from a substance
Sheer
A force across a material, eg scissors cut by applying a shear force
Thermoforming
Also called ‘thermoplastic’. Can be reformed when heated, and therefore can often be recycled
Thermosetting
Also called ‘thermoset’. Can only be formed once as it cannot be reheated and therefore cannot be recycled.
Veneer
A thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other material
Wood pulp
Wood fibres processed and reduced down with chemicals or mechanically broken down into smaller parts to make paper.
Yarn
Short threads spun to form one long thread
