Composites and Smart Materials Flashcards
How are composite materials created ?
If two or more materials are combined together a composite material is created.
What are the properties of glass reinforced plastic (GRP) ?
Pros: high tensile strength, very resistant to corrosion.
Cons: brittle and can shatter.
What the properties of Carbon fibre ?
Pros: stronger than GRP, ideal for high performance structural applications.
Cons: expensive
What are the properties of medium density fibreboard ?
Pros: Inexpensive, comes in uniformed sheets, easily made.
Cons: weak, can be dented easily, sawdust created when sanded is harmful.
What are the properties of chipboard and how is made ?
Made from wood particles being glued together under heat and pressure.
Pros: inexperience and commonly used for furniture.
Cons: if wet it starts to swell.
What is a laminate ?
A laminate is a material that is produced by bonding together two or more layers of material.
What are the properties of a laminate ?
Pros: very stable, easy to work, cheaper that solid wood.
Cons: unnatural feeling.
How is plywood manufactured ?
Manufactured from layers of veneers that are bonded together using glue.
What are the pros and cons of plywood ?
Pros: very strong, stable sheet material.
Cons: not visually pleasing.
How is block board made ?
It’s made up from stripes of plywood. It is produced by covering each side with veneer the flying together under high pressure.
What are the pros and cons of blackboard ?
Pros: good resistance to warping.
Cons: not as strong as plywood.
What are Thermo-ceramics ?
Thermo-ceramics are very advanced ceramic materials that have properties that make them useful in engineering situations.
What is photochromic glass ?
Photochromic glass is glass that automatically darkens when exposed to ultraviolet light and then reverts to clear glass when the light source is reduced or removed.
What are solar panels ?
Solar panels are a method of generating electricity?
What are liquid crystal displays ?
They are organic, carbon based compounds which are commonly used in laptops and tv screens.
