Materials & Their Properties Flashcards
What are physical properties?
Material that can be measured in their natural state
What is absorbency?
The ability of a material to soak up or draw in heart, light or moisture
What is density?
The mass, per unit volume of any material.How solid a material is.
What is electrical conductivity?
The measure at which a material can transport electricity
What is fusibilty?
The ability of a material to be convented from a solid to a fluid state by heat and combined with another material
What is thermal conductivity?
The measure of a material’s ability to transfer heat
What are working properties?
Describe how a material responds when it is manipulated or worked
What is ductility?
The ability of a material to be stretched or drawn or pulled without breaking
What is elasticity?
The ability to return to its original shape after stretching or compression
What is hardness?
The ability to withstand impact, wear, abrasion and indentation
What is malleability?
The ability to be bend and shaped without cracking or splitting
What is strength?
The ability to withstand a force such as pressure
What is toughness?
The ability to absorb shock without fracturing
Describe what tree hardwood comes from
Hardwood comes from deciduous trees with usually have a broad-leafed variety that drops its leaves in the winter. They usually grow slow which makes them more dense and expensive
What are the different types of hardwood?
Ash, Beech, Mahogany, Balsa and Oak
What are the properties and uses of Ash?
Properties: Flexible, tough and shock resistant, laminates wall and Pale Brown.
Uses: Sport equipment and tool handles
What are the properties and uses of Beech?
Properties: Fine Finish, tough and durable and Beige with pink hue
Uses: Children’s toys and models, furniture and veneers
What are the properties and uses of Mahogany?
Properties: Easily worked, durable and finishes well and Reddish brown
Uses: High End furniture and joinery, veneers
What are the properties and uses of Balsa?
Properties: Very soft and spongy, good strength to weight ratio and Pale cream/white
Uses: Prototyping and modelling
What are the properties and uses of Oak?
Properties: Tough, Hard and durable, high quality finish possible and Light Brown
Uses: Flooring, furniture, railway sleepers, veneers
Describe what tree softwood comes from
Softwood comes from coniferous trees that usually bears needles and has cones. Grow usually quicker then deciduous trees so more cheaper
What are the different types of softwood?
Pine, Spruce and Larch
What are the properties and uses of Pine?
Properties: Lightweight, easy to work, can split and be resinous near knots and Pale Yellowish brown
Uses: Interior construction and furniture
What are the properties and uses of Spruce?
Properties: Easy to work, high stiffness to weight ratio and creamy white
Uses: Construction, furniture and musical instruments
What are the properties and uses of Larch?
Properties: Durable, tough, good water resistance, good surface finish and Pale reddish brown
Uses: Exterior cladding, decking, flooring, manufactured mouldings, furniture and joinery railway sleepers and veneers
Give two differences between hardwood and softwood
Hardwood - comes from deciduous trees
Softwood - comes from coniferous trees
Deciduous trees are usually slower growing which makes the wood denser
What are manufactured boards?
Manufactured boards are timber sheets which are produced by gluing wood layers or wood fibres together. Manufactured boards often made use of waste wood materials.
What are the different types of manufactured boards?
Chipboard, Medium density fibreboard (MDF), Plywood
What are the properties and uses of Chipwood?
Properties: Good compressive strength, not water resistant unless treated, good value but prone to chipping on edges and corners
Uses: Flooring, low-end furniture, kitchen units and worktops
What are the properties and uses of MDF?
Properties: Rigid and stable, with a smooth, easy to finish surface. Very absorbent so not as good in high humidity or damp areas.
Uses: Good value, flat pack furniture, toys, kitchen units and internal construction
What are the properties and uses of Plywood?
Properties: Very stable in all directions due to alternate layering at 90*C, with outside layers running in the same direction.
Uses: Furniture, shelving, toys and construction. Interior, exterior and marine grades available for greater water resistance
What are advantages of using manufactured timber over natural timber
1 - Available in large board sizes which can reduce the number of joins
2- Cheaper than natural timber
3- Good insulator and easily cut
4 - Can be easily laminated to apply a wide range of finishes
What are disadvantages of using manufactured timber over natural timber
1- Dense which makes them heavy in large sheets
2 - Can quickly blunt blades and cutting tools in the production process
3 - Resins and blinders can be toxic so precautions must be taken
4 - Edges are difficult to finish due to no natural end grain
