Material Properties and Applications — Eduqas GCSE Design and Technology C600
Eduqas GCSE Design and Technology · C600
Material Properties and Applications
What you need to know
Categorize and evaluate the properties of papers, cards, boards, and composite materials, focusing on strength, folding ability, surface finish, and absorbency.
Explain the process of laminating paper-based materials to enhance strength, finish, and appearance.
Understand standard ISO paper sizes, grammage (gsm), and micron measurements for material thickness.
Assess the aesthetic and functional properties of common paper and board types, including layout, tracing, copier, recycled, cartridge, mounting, folding boxboard, and corrugated board.
Categorize the physical and working properties of hardwoods and softwoods, considering strength, grain structure, surface finish, and absorbency.
Identify natural timber forms (plank, board, strip, square, dowel) and discriminate between types based on weight, colour, grain, texture, durability, and workability.
Explain the use of protective and aesthetic finishes on natural and manufactured timbers.
Categorize manufactured timbers (e.g., plywood, MDF, chipboard, hardboard, veneered boards) and understand their standard sizes and forms.
Classify ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, and alloys, evaluating properties such as hardness, elasticity, conductivity, toughness, ductility, tensile strength, and malleability.
Identify standard metal stock forms, including sheet, bar, rod, tube, and angle.
Distinguish between ferrous metals (cast iron, mild steel, medium/high carbon steel) and non-ferrous metals (aluminium, copper, brass, bronze), understanding their respective protective finish requirements.
Categorize the physical properties of thermoforming (thermoplastic) and thermosetting polymers, identifying them from natural or synthetic resources.
Differentiate the properties and applications of specific thermoplastics (polythene, polystyrene, polypropylene, PVC) and thermosetting plastics (UF, MF, PR, ER).
Classify natural, synthetic, blended, and mixed fibres, as well as woven, non-woven, and knitted textiles according to their raw material sources.
Evaluate the specific properties of textile fibres, including strength, elasticity, absorbency, durability, insulation, flammability, water-repellence, and chemical resistance.
Explain how blending and mixing fibres can enhance the functional properties of yarns and materials.
