MATERIALS TESTING AND TEMPLATES

V.Ryan © 2000 - 2016

On behalf of The World Association of Technology Teachers W.A.T.T.

World Association of Technology Teachers

This exercise can be printed and used by teachers and students. It is recommended that you view the website (www.technologystudent.com) before attempting the design sheet .

THESE MATERIALS CAN BE PRINTED AND USED BY TEACHERS AND STUDENTS. THEY MUST NOT BE EDITED IN ANY WAY OR PLACED ON ANY OTHER MEDIA INCLUDING WEB SITES AND INTRANETS. NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE. THIS WORK IS PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW. IT IS ILLEGAL TO DISPLAY THIS WORK ON ANY WEBSITE/MEDIA STORAGE OTHER THAN www.technologystudent.com NAME: MATERIALS TESTING AND RESEARCH SHEET 1 You are to carry out tests on the materials listed below. Record and describe your findings in each section of the table. Photograph your work at the end of the lesson. HELPFUL LINK - http://www.technologystudent.com/despro_flsh/matsres1.html ALUMINIUM STEEL

How well does the material cut and shape with a ?

NOT SUITABLE

How easy is the material to cut with a ?

NOT SUITABLE NOT SUITABLE

How easy is the material to and ?

What happens to the surface of the material when it is centre punched? How much damage?

How does the edge of each piece of material finish/smooth with a file?

How does the edge of each piece of material finish/smooth with glasspaper or wet and dry paper? NAME: MATERIALS TESTING AND RESEARCH SHEET 2 You are to carry out tests on the materials listed below. Record and describe your findings in each section of the table. Photograph your work at the end of the lesson. HELPFUL LINK - http://www.technologystudent.com/despro_flsh/matsres1.html MDF PERSPEX HIPS

How well does the material cut and shape with a fretsaw?

How easy is the material to cut with a ?

How easy is the material to drill and countersink?

What happens to the surface of the material when it is centre punched? How much damage?

How does the edge of each piece of material finish/smooth with a file?

How does the edge of each piece of material finish/smooth with glasspaper or wet and dry paper? NAME: MATERIALS TESTING AND RESEARCH SHEET 1 You are to carry out tests on the materials listed below. Record and describe your findings in each section of the table. Photograph your work at the end of the lesson. HELPFUL LINK - http://www.technologystudent.com/despro_flsh/matsres1.html ALUMINIUM STEEL PLYWOOD OAK

How well does the Aluminium can only be cut Plywood is a little resistant Oak cuts quite easily. More material cut and shape on a fretsaw with a special to and shaping, it is a difficult than pine and with a fretsaw? expensive harder material than ‘natural especially MDF. The grain ’. makes accuracy difficult. NOT SUITABLE NOT SUITABLE MODERATE DIFFICULTY MODERATE EASE Plywood is more difficult Oak can be cut and shaped How easy is the than expected to cut by by a coping saw, although material to cut with a coping saw. Plywood is the grain can make cutting coping saw? quite a resistant material. accurately difficult.

NOT SUITABLE NOT SUITABLE MODERATE DIFFICULTY MODERATE DIFFICULTY Centre punch first and Centre punch first and drill Can be drilled and Can be drilled and How easy is the aluminium can be drilled very slowly. Do not touch countersunk easily. countersunk easily. material to drill and easily. Use a hand vice. swarf as it is very sharp. Use Clamped in a vice or with a Clamped in a vice or with a countersink? Avoid touching swarf. a hand vice / machine drill G . G clamp. WITH EASE - CARE TAKEN MODERATE DIFFICULTY WITH EASE WITH EASE What happens to the Quite a soft metal. Easy to A hard metal. Requires more Very easy to indent. Little Very easy to indent. Little surface of the material indent. Could be damaged force to indent compared to force required. Surface can force required. Surface can when it is centre easily if something is aluminium. Will resist be damaged easily. be damaged easily. punched? How much dropped on to its surface. indents to its surface. damage? EASY TO INDENT FORCE REQUIRED WITH EASE WITH EASE

How does the edge of Files quite easily as it is a A hard metal. Files quite well Very easy to file but tends to Files easily and produces each piece of material soft metal. Produces quite a but takes longer than splinter when filing across quite a good finish. Can finish/smooth with a smooth finish. aluminium. produces the edge. splinter when filed across file? reasonable finish. the edge. EASY TO FORCE REQUIRED WITH EASE - CARE NEEDED WITH EASE How does the edge of Good finish achieved with A hard metal. Smooth finish Glasspapers well. Sooth Very good finish achieved each piece of material wet and dry paper. Smooth. achieved with wet and dry finish achieved after short with glasspaper. Grain finish/smooth with paper, but requires more time. displays well giving good glasspaper or wet and time than aluminium natural finish. dry paper? VERY GOOD FINISH GOOD FINISH GOOD FINISH VERY GOOD FINISH NAME: MATERIALS TESTING AND RESEARCH SHEET 2 You are to carry out tests on the materials listed below. Record and describe your findings in each section of the table. Photograph your work at the end of the lesson. HELPFUL LINK - http://www.technologystudent.com/despro_flsh/matsres1.html PINE MDF PERSPEX HIPS

How well does the Pine cuts quite easily but the MDF cuts and shapes Perspex is a little resistant HIPs is only 1mm thick and material cut and shape grain sometimes makes really easily. It can be cut to cutting and shaping cuts very easily. I had to cut with a fretsaw? cutting exactly to the line a accurately and to the line because it is a harder really slowly because the little inaccurate. material than ‘woods’. material is quite soft. MODERATE DIFFICULTY WITH EASE MODERATE DIFFICULTY WITH EASE Quite easily but the grain MDF cuts and shapes Perspex is very difficult to Even more difficult to cut How easy is the made it difficult to keep to relatively easily. It can be cut with a coping saw and than perspex because it is material to cut with a the line. Requires practice cut accurately and to the masking tape must be so thin. even when in a vice coping saw? for accuracy line if care is taken. applied to the surface’. it flexible. DIFFICULTY QUITE EASY VERY DIFFICULTY VERY DIFFICULT Pine drilled easily and MDF was even easier to Perspex is easy to drill but Care must be taken How easy is the countersinking was the drill and countersink as masking tape must be used because HIPs is so thin. material to drill and same pine. An ideal materials for to protect against shattering. Masking tape is also applied countersink? these techniques. Consequently, takes longer. to the surface. WITH EASE VERY EASY MODERATE EASE CARE REQUIRED What happens to the Pine can be indented MDF takes a little more Perspex must be centre HIPs must be centre surface of the material easily. The surface can be force before it is indented. punched before . punched before drilling. when it is centre damaged if something is The surface can be More resistant than ‘woods’ Same as perspex. Difficult punched? How much dropped on to it. damaged quite easily. to damage. because it is so thin. damage? EASILY DAMAGED QUITE EASILY DAMAGED MODERATE EASE CARE REQUIRED

How does the edge of The edge finishes quite MDF files easily along the Perspex files well with HIPs files well but it is each piece of material well. Care must taken filing edge but tends to split ‘through’ filing and ‘draw’ difficult at times because it finish/smooth with a across the edge, as it can easily when filing across. filing. Quite smooth is so thin. file? split. QUITE SMOOTH QUITE SMOOTH SMOOTH SMOOTH How does the edge of Very good finish achieved Smooth finish achieved Perspex produces a semi Good smooth finish but it is each piece of material with glasspaper. Easy to with glasspaper. Easy to polished finish with wet and difficult at times because it finish/smooth with smooth. Grain shows smooth. No natural texture dry paper. is so thin and flexes in the glasspaper or wet and through well. to finish. vice. dry paper? VERY GOOD FINISH GOOD FINISH VERY GOOD FINISH VERY GOOD FINISH NAME:

HELPFUL LINK - http://www.technologystudent.com/despro_flsh/matsres1.html

ALUMINIUM STEEL PLYWOOD OAK

PINE MDF PERSPEX HIPS NAME:

HELPFUL LINK - http://www.technologystudent.com/despro_flsh/matsres1.html

ALUMINIUM STEEL PLYWOOD OAK

PINE MDF PERSPEX HIPS NAME: MATERIALS TESTING - SUMMARY SHEET SHEET FILING TEST HELPFUL LINK - http://www.technologystudent.com/despro_flsh/matsres1.html DRILLING TEST SMOOTHING / FINISH TEST I drilled each sample with a 4mm bit, using a bench drill.

The most difficult to drill was the steel, as it created sharp swarf.

The perspex had to be protected with masking tape, in case it shattered. It drilled relatively easily, but care was still required.

The steel was the hardest to file and required a lot of effort. The finish The pine drilled easily but the MDF created dust. this was relatively smooth although teeth marks could be seen. would be a health hazard on a factory production line. I used wet and dry paper / glass paper to finish a side of each sample. All produced a The pine filed easily, although it did not produce a good finish. MATERIAL RESULT DESCRIPTION good finish, smooth to the touch. The hardest material to smooth was steel, The aluminium filed easily as well. The finish was quite good. Teeth because it took longer than the other marks could be seen. PERSPEX MODERATE TENDENCY TO SPLIT, IF MASKING TAPE NOT USED materials. Steel will rust if the surface is not protected with or lacquer. The perspex filed easily and the finish was reasonably smooth. PINE EASY EASY TO DRILL, DUST/CHIPPINGS CREATED Any of these materials will give the finish I ALUMINIUM MODERATE SOFT METAL, EASY TO DRILL WITH CARE need for my project. Some may need a CENTRE PUNCH TEST - SUMMARY protective finish to prevent corrosion. STEEL DIFFICULT DIFFICULT TO DRILL, CREATES SHARP SWARF

MATERIAL RESULT DESCRIPTION

PERSPEX FAIR MEDIUM SURFACE DAMAGE OVERALL SUMMARY OF MATERIALS TESTING PINE FAIR DEEP INDENT MINIMUM SURFACE DAMAGE COPING SAW AND FRETSAW TEST - SUMMARY All these materials could be used during the ALUMINIUM GOOD MINIMUM SURFACE DAMAGE manufacture of my product.

STEEL GOOD MINIMUM SURFACE DAMAGE I am more likely to use natural woods as they can be cut and shape quite easily. They are sustainable and can be reused or recycled. All these materials are suitable for my product, as they will resist knocks and drops sufficiently. Some of the components, such as screws, n V.Rya By are manufactured from steel. they will be strong enough to hold my project together, until the end of its life cycle.

As a result of my tests, the materials I am I carried out hardness tests on the range of most likely to use are pine or oak and materials, using a centre punch and an perspex. engineers hammer. The natural woods were more difficult to cut and shape with a coping saw, than the manmade boards. The grain of the natural woods, made it difficult I started apply the same weight of blow to the for me to keep to the line. hammer for each material, then slowly increased the weight/force on harder materials. When using the fretsaw, all the materials were easier to cut and shape, although again the manmade boards were the easiest. They cut smoothly In order of hardness - steel, aluminium, perspex and it was easy to keep accurately to the line. and pine.

PINE OAK PERSPEX MATERIALS TESTING

Materials testing is a very important aspect of research. When designing a product, an understanding of the properties of materials will help determine if a material is suitable for the manufacture of a product, including any product you are designing.

At some point, there will be a need to test materials yourself, or you may need to rely on the data produced by researchers.

Below are a range of simple material tests, that can be carried out in a school workshop.

COMPARE ADD A AGAINST OTHER DESCRIPTION IN YOUR OWN

INCLUDE A KEY WORD / PHRASE AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH SECTION - VERY EASY, QUITE EASY, MODERATE DIFFICULT ETC....

NAME:

ALUMINIUM STEEL PLYWOOD OAK

PINE MDF PERSPEX HIPS