AQA AS/A Level Design and Technology: Product Design - Section 1.1 and 1.2 Flashcards

Flashcards for AQA AS/A-level Design and Technology: Product Design textbook, covering key vocabulary and concepts.

Manufactured board

A man-made, wood-based composite material generally available in a standard size of 2,440 mm x 1,220 mm.

Stock form

The set of standard sizes in which materials are available, such as square tubing, round bar, and predetermined thicknesses.

Mechanical properties

How a material reacts to an external force, including compressive strength, tensile strength, bending strength, shear strength, and torsional strength.

Physical properties

The actual make-up or structure of the material, including electrical properties, thermal properties, optical properties, density, fusibility, magnetism, and corrosion/degradation resistance.

Compressive strength

The ability to withstand being crushed or shortened by pushing forces (compression).

Tensile strength

The ability to resist stretching or pulling forces (tension).

Hardness

The ability to resist abrasive wear such as scratching, surface indentation or cutting.

Toughness

The ability to absorb impact force without fracture.

Composite

A material comprised of two or more different materials, resulting in a material with enhanced properties.

Smart material

A material whose physical properties change in response to an input or change in the environment, such as electricity, pressure, temperature or light.

Modern material

A material developed through the invention of new or improved processes, e.g., as a result of man-made materials or human intervention.

Ferrous metal

A metal containing mostly iron and carbon.

Non-ferrous metal

A metal that does not contain iron.

Alloy

A metal made of two or more metals, or combining two or more elements, one of which must be a metal.

Thermoplastic

A material that can be repeatedly reheated and reshaped.

Thermosetting polymer

A material which when heated undergoes a chemical change whereby the molecules form rigid cross links and cannot be reheated and reshaped.

Elastomer

A material which at room temperature can be deformed under pressure, and then upon release of the pressure will return to their original shape.

Air seasoning

A traditional, inexpensive method which involves stacking the wood under a shelter, protected from the rain, allowing sir to circulate between the planks to slowly remove excess moisture.

Kiln seasoning

A more expensive but controlled method which is very quick and can take just a few weeks, where planks are stacked onto trolleys and placed in the kiln where both temperature and humidity are controlled.

Hardwood

A wood from a broad-leafed (deciduous) tree.

Softwood

A wood from a coniferous (cone bearing) tree.

Rough sawn

Wood that comes directly from seasoning and has rough surfaces produced from initial conversion with nominal rather than accurate finished sizes.

Planed square edge (PSE)

Wood that has only one edge that is planed accurately, with the rest being rough sawn.

Planed all round (PAR)

Wood that has sides and edges that are all planed square, straight and level, leaving a smooth finish and is ready to use.

Safe working temperature (polymers)

The temperature deemed safe for processing polymers without possible degradation of the polymer properties.

Work hardening

Improved tensile strength and hardness in the localised area when a metal is cold worked.

Annealing

Heating work hardened metal and very slowly cooling it, making it easier to work by making it less brittle and more ductile.

Case hardening

A process for hardening the surface of steels with less than 0.4 per cent carbon content.

Carburising

Changes the chemical composition of the surface of low carbon steel so it absorbs more carbon and increase surface hardness.

Quenching

Rapid cooling of a heat-treated metal.

Hardening and tempering

Heating heating medium or high carbon steels to a given temperature, rapidly cooling via quenching and then heating to a set temperature to remove excess hardness.