Eduqas A-Level Product Design materials and their properties overview quiz quiz

A metal that contains no iron at all and so naturally resists corrosion without protection

A mixture of two or more different metals melted and combined together to form an alloy

A metal that is supplied to the workshop only in the form of fine granules or powder

A metal that contains iron as its main element, so it is usually magnetic and rusts

Thermoplastics have weak intermolecular bonds that heat overcomes, while thermosets have covalent cross-links that heat cannot break

Thermoplastics have permanent covalent cross-links set on curing, whereas thermosets have only weak bonds that soften when heated again

Thermosets contain no long polymer chains at all, so there is nothing for heat to soften or rearrange when they are warmed up

Thermoplastics are always far stronger and stiffer than thermosets, which is the only reason they can be reshaped over again

Oak

MDF

Pine

Mahogany

Resist scratching and surface wear

Be drawn into a wire

Absorb energy and resist impact without fracturing

Return to its original shape after a load is removed

270 kg per cubic metre

1080 kg per cubic metre

27000 kg per cubic metre

2700 kg per cubic metre

Drawn out into a wire under tension without breaking

Hammered or rolled out into a thin sheet under compression

Heated until soft and then remoulded into a new shape

Scratched and marked easily by another harder material

Mild steel, a ferrous alloy of iron and a small amount of carbon

Carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP)

Acrylic, a clear and rigid thermoplastic

Pine, a natural softwood timber from a tree

Light

pH

Heat

Sound

Thermochromic pigment

Shape memory alloy

Piezoelectric material

Kevlar

Reheats it to a lower temperature to restore some toughness while keeping most of the hardness

Makes the hardened steel even harder still and considerably more brittle than it was before

Softens the steel completely so that it becomes fully malleable and easy to bend cold by hand

Coats the outside of the hardened steel with a protective sacrificial layer of zinc against rust

To add a deeper, richer colour to the surface of the felled timber before it is sold

To reduce its moisture content so it is more stable, stronger and less likely to warp or rot

To make the timber able to conduct an electric current once it has been fully dried out in a kiln

To turn the natural timber into a manufactured composite board such as plywood or MDF

Ultrasonic scanning for internal flaws within the part

A dye penetrant test for fine surface cracks

A tensile test that pulls a sample to breaking

An X-ray taken of a finished welded joint

A manufacturing process used to shape the raw material into a final product

A type of protective surface finish applied to the material

A quality control test carried out on the finished material

The standard shape and size a material is supplied in before processing

It needs less machining and produces less waste

It makes the finished material noticeably stronger overall

It removes the need for any finishing process at all

It permanently changes the density of the material itself