modern and smart materials

Question 1

What are modern materials?

Answer 1

These are materials that are relatively new and have specific working properties and performance characteristics

Question 2

What is carbon fibre?

Answer 2

• A modern material made from carbon crystals woven into fabric.
• high stiffness, high tensile strength, low weight, high temperature tolerance, high chemical resistance, low thermal expansion and resistance to corrosion.
• Used in racing bikes, F1 cars and aerospace as it is strong and lightweight.

Question 3

What is Kevlar?

Answer 3

• A modern material
• Kevlar is a heat resistant and strong synthetic fibre with the ability to stop bullets and knives form penetrating it. Said to be 5x stronger than steel for its weight.
  -It can be woven into different shapes and remains lightweight and flexible, which is ideal for protective vests.

Question 4

What is GRP/fibreglass?

Answer 4

• A modern material
• Fibre strands are embedded into a polymer resin matrix, resulting in high compressive and tensile strengths in the finished products.
• Many products are made from fibreglass including fun water slides, jacuzzis, car body panels and boats.

Question 5

What are smart materials?

Answer 5

• Smart materials can display a physical change due to external stimuli.
• A smart material is a category of materials that react when something triggers them. It can be a change in temperature or light for example

Question 6

What is Quantum Tunnelling Composite (QTC)?

Answer 6

• A smart material
• a black rubbery material which is an electrical insulator, but when placed under compression, it becomes a conductor
• It is used in clothing, smart phones and outdoor equipment, normally as a material to make an electrical switch.

Question 7

What are photochromic materials?

Answer 7

• A smart material
• Photochromic pigments or film are used to change colour in ultraviolet (UV) light.
• This is used in spectacles that automatically darken as the sunlight gets brighter

Question 8

What are thermochromic materials?

Answer 8

• A smart material
• Changes colour to indicate temperature
• Used in colour changing novelty mugs

Question 9

What are shape memory alloys?

Answer 9

• A smart material
• materials that change their shape when heated.
• Used in glasses frames or braces

Question 10

What is polymorph?

Answer 10

• A smart material
• a polymer that becomes malleable at 62°C.

Question 11

What are the differences between modern and smart materials?

Answer 11

• Modern materials are designed to have specific properties and characteristics, so that they can be used to improve existing materials used in products.
• Smart materials have unique changes that occur in response to external stimuli, making the smart material react in a clever way.

Question 12

What is Styrofoam?

Answer 12

Styrofoam is a trade name for expanded polystyrene foam also called blue modelling foam. It can be purchased in a variety of sheet sizes and thicknesses. It is easy to cut, shape and work, and has excellent insulation properties

Question 13

What is modelling foam board?

Answer 13

• Modelling foam board or white foam board is an ecofriendly versatile material used for framing, mounting design work and creating scale architectural models.
• Available in different thicknesses, foam board is a dense layer of foam sandwiched between two thin card faces.
• Modelling foam board is easy to cut, leaving a clean finish in this sturdy material. It can also be laser cut.