Modern Materials

Question 1

Flexible MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard)

Answer 1

• This man made board is light brown in colour, smooth on one side with a set of grooves cut on the other.
• This smart board has a series of grooves cut on one side and can be shaped in one direction to form curves and waves

Question 2

Flexible MDF cont

Answer 2

• Flexible MDF can be finished in the usual manner by using laminated veneers, varnish and other suitable coatings.
• Commonly used for interesting modern furniture, internal walls and dividers

Question 3

Titanium

Answer 3

• This versatile metal has a high strength to weight ratio and is corrosion resistant.
• This alloy is light grey polished in appearance and can be easily shaped or welded

Question 4

Uses of titanium

Answer 4

• Commonly used for joint and dental implants as the material does not react with the human body making it hypoallergenic.
• Also used in jewellery, watches, aircraft and sports cars due to its high strength to weight ratio

Question 5

Fibre optics

Answer 5

• Used to replace traditional copper wires, these fibres allow the exchange of digital data along thin glass strands.
• This glass fibre strand is surrounding by a glass cladding covered with stronger fibres and a polymer outer

Question 6

Fibre optics cont

Answer 6

• These fibre optic cables are flexible, light and transfer digital data thousands of times faster than traditional copper cables.
• These materials are commonly used in broadband cables, endoscopic cameras, and lighting display such as fibre optic Christmas trees

Question 7

What does MED stand for

Answer 7

Medium Density Fiberboard

Question 8

Graphene

Answer 8

• Graphene is the thinnest material yet discovered and is one atom thick.
• Graphene is a million times thinner than a human hair but 200 times stronger than steel.
• This material is clear, flexible, stretchable, strong, lightweight and impermeable to all known substances.
• These materials are being developed for use in mobile technology, biomedicine, composites, material coatings and energy storage

Question 9

Liquid crystal display (LCD)

Answer 9

• Liquid crystal displays are found in a monochrome or colour display format.
• Numbers or letters are displayed when a voltage is applied to create a symbol or image.
• These displays have low power consumption, create sharp images, and are compact and flat

Question 10

Nano materials

Answer 10

They are derived from the field of nanotechnology meaning the branch of technology that deals with dimensions and tolerances of less than 100 nanometres, especially the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules.

Question 11

Nano materials cont

Answer 11

• These materials exist on a molecular or atomic scale and have benefits for electronics, engineering and scientific design.
• These materials are commonly used in the miniaturisation of electronics, protective coating in the textile industry and particles to improve water resistance

Question 12

Metal foams

Answer 12

• Metal foams have a closed to open cell structure and are the same colour as most metals.
• This material is strong, lightweight, electrically and thermally conductive, good sound absorption and very porous.
• These materials are commonly used in aircraft, car parts, impact absorption and medical implants