R2 Working properties of materials
This area of the audit has been marked at '1' meaning very little knowledge if not any at all.
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What I have learnt and what I now understand
Even though we have not specifically had a taught session on this area of the audit through my own engagement within my time in the workshops, listening to the tutors and completing the modules set, I now have some understanding of what this means in a Design and Technology context.
I now have learnt and understand that when you are selecting or using any material, it is important to know and understand the advantages, disadvantages or limitations of working with it. Often in Design and Technology I have learnt that you generally apply this when you are deciding which material to use in order to construct your proposed project or during your development stages for generating ideas. I now know that selecting the right material is so important as it insures that the product is fit for purpose and that it meets the requirements of the audience it is designed for, furthermore, the manufacturing process is also an important factor to consider when selecting your material and can determine the overall out come of any product.
I have identified that an important principle to remember and make note of is that the term PROPERTY translates to the CHARACTERISTICS of a material and that every material will have a range of these properties or characteristics. I now understand that you can divide the various properties into three groups.
Mechanical Properties
I now know that these describe how the material will respond to different types of external forces for instance: Does the material have the ability to withstand pulling or stretching forces (tensile strength), how easy is the material manufactured using machine tools? Is the product flexible in terms of it's elasticity?
Aesthetic Properties
I understand that this relates to the overal appearance of the material:
I have learnt now that these describe how a material will respond to physical influences other forces for example
How well can light pass through the material? Is it transparent, translucent or opaque? How well does the material resist corrosion? For example rusting or fungal disease on woods and metals. Does the material conduct heat well? What is it's thermal conductivity? Can the material conduct electricity well? Or is the material a insulator and does not conduct electricity.
Although each group is important to consider when selecting a material for your projects, in my opinion not all of them will be relevant and it is going to be dependent on the type of product your are manufacturing.
Now I have understood and learnt what it means in terms of the 'properties of materials' , I think it would be a good idea now to demonstrate some examples of these properties, with some materials that we use in the workshop on a day to day basis. I have decided to create a small table showing the properties of some of these common materials. Hopefully this table illustrates that I understand what to look for when applying this within my own work.
Even though we have not specifically had a taught session on this area of the audit through my own engagement within my time in the workshops, listening to the tutors and completing the modules set, I now have some understanding of what this means in a Design and Technology context.
I now have learnt and understand that when you are selecting or using any material, it is important to know and understand the advantages, disadvantages or limitations of working with it. Often in Design and Technology I have learnt that you generally apply this when you are deciding which material to use in order to construct your proposed project or during your development stages for generating ideas. I now know that selecting the right material is so important as it insures that the product is fit for purpose and that it meets the requirements of the audience it is designed for, furthermore, the manufacturing process is also an important factor to consider when selecting your material and can determine the overall out come of any product.
I have identified that an important principle to remember and make note of is that the term PROPERTY translates to the CHARACTERISTICS of a material and that every material will have a range of these properties or characteristics. I now understand that you can divide the various properties into three groups.
- Mechanical Properties
- Aesthetic Properties
- Physical Proprieties.
Mechanical Properties
I now know that these describe how the material will respond to different types of external forces for instance: Does the material have the ability to withstand pulling or stretching forces (tensile strength), how easy is the material manufactured using machine tools? Is the product flexible in terms of it's elasticity?
Aesthetic Properties
I understand that this relates to the overal appearance of the material:
- Colour
- Surface texture
- Surface decoration
- Brightness
I have learnt now that these describe how a material will respond to physical influences other forces for example
How well can light pass through the material? Is it transparent, translucent or opaque? How well does the material resist corrosion? For example rusting or fungal disease on woods and metals. Does the material conduct heat well? What is it's thermal conductivity? Can the material conduct electricity well? Or is the material a insulator and does not conduct electricity.
Although each group is important to consider when selecting a material for your projects, in my opinion not all of them will be relevant and it is going to be dependent on the type of product your are manufacturing.
Now I have understood and learnt what it means in terms of the 'properties of materials' , I think it would be a good idea now to demonstrate some examples of these properties, with some materials that we use in the workshop on a day to day basis. I have decided to create a small table showing the properties of some of these common materials. Hopefully this table illustrates that I understand what to look for when applying this within my own work.
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Analysis of new gained knowledge and the next step
At the start of the course when I initially approached this area of the audit I graded it as a '1' meaning little knowledge if not any at all. Now that I have had the chance to explore the area further I feel that I have certainly developed my knowledge and now understand more about this content. During my engagement there were times where I found myself successful as a learner and other times where I was not.
When I began to learn about the properties of materials what really helped to put things int perspective was when I understood and learnt that when using the term 'properties' it can also mean the characteristics of a material. Once I had learnt this, it was at this point when everything almost fell into place and I then noticed that I started to move forward within my learning. I learnt this by asking Bhav, so I feel that a successful part of my learning was actually asking questions rather than looking at books and other sources. I find myself easily getting bogged down and overwhelmed with books and it reminded me to simply try to ask questions in order to help develop.
I think with any area of the audit it is important really to come to terms with what the words actually mean, once you understand this the content becomes a lot easier to understand and from that point you can explore and engage further in your learning.
When learning something new I think it is always really important as a learner to be able to identify the principles within the content. Obviously as a future teacher I know how useful this will be especially when translating new knowledge to students. I was able to identify that although you can split these properties into groups it is going to always be dependent on what the purpose of the product is. For example if you were making a chair you would not necessarily need to consider physical properties such as it's thermal conductivity because it does not necessarily need to conduct heat to fit it's purpose.
In addition, I feel that it is always useful as a learner to demonstrate how you have learnt by setting yourself a task or creating a visual learning aid. I completed a table to display my learning and I found that it actually helped me even further to understand how crucial this is in Design and Technology as well as in the Industry. It also helped me to think about my own projects and how I perhaps have not applied this within my own work or have but not really realised that I put it into practice.
At this moment in time I have only learnt the principles of this area of the audit, and I have not really showed how I have applied this and put it into practice with my own work. I think that this could be a unsuccessful part of my learning stages because if I was able to go back and look at my work with this new knowledge it would show that I understand the principles and reasons behind this method and reiterate why I selected that particular material in the first place. Therefore, in my next step and in my further development I have decided to look at one of my projects and give reasons as to why I have used that material to hopeful help me understand more about the importance of this, whats more to show how I am now thinking about this within my own work.
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Analysis of new gained knowledge and the next step
At the start of the course when I initially approached this area of the audit I graded it as a '1' meaning little knowledge if not any at all. Now that I have had the chance to explore the area further I feel that I have certainly developed my knowledge and now understand more about this content. During my engagement there were times where I found myself successful as a learner and other times where I was not.
When I began to learn about the properties of materials what really helped to put things int perspective was when I understood and learnt that when using the term 'properties' it can also mean the characteristics of a material. Once I had learnt this, it was at this point when everything almost fell into place and I then noticed that I started to move forward within my learning. I learnt this by asking Bhav, so I feel that a successful part of my learning was actually asking questions rather than looking at books and other sources. I find myself easily getting bogged down and overwhelmed with books and it reminded me to simply try to ask questions in order to help develop.
I think with any area of the audit it is important really to come to terms with what the words actually mean, once you understand this the content becomes a lot easier to understand and from that point you can explore and engage further in your learning.
When learning something new I think it is always really important as a learner to be able to identify the principles within the content. Obviously as a future teacher I know how useful this will be especially when translating new knowledge to students. I was able to identify that although you can split these properties into groups it is going to always be dependent on what the purpose of the product is. For example if you were making a chair you would not necessarily need to consider physical properties such as it's thermal conductivity because it does not necessarily need to conduct heat to fit it's purpose.
In addition, I feel that it is always useful as a learner to demonstrate how you have learnt by setting yourself a task or creating a visual learning aid. I completed a table to display my learning and I found that it actually helped me even further to understand how crucial this is in Design and Technology as well as in the Industry. It also helped me to think about my own projects and how I perhaps have not applied this within my own work or have but not really realised that I put it into practice.
At this moment in time I have only learnt the principles of this area of the audit, and I have not really showed how I have applied this and put it into practice with my own work. I think that this could be a unsuccessful part of my learning stages because if I was able to go back and look at my work with this new knowledge it would show that I understand the principles and reasons behind this method and reiterate why I selected that particular material in the first place. Therefore, in my next step and in my further development I have decided to look at one of my projects and give reasons as to why I have used that material to hopeful help me understand more about the importance of this, whats more to show how I am now thinking about this within my own work.
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Further Development
The next two examples are photographs that show some examples of my work that I have completed throughout the course of the year. I have stated my reasons as to why I have selected the material.
Below are some pictures of my electronics project for the systems and control module.
The next two examples are photographs that show some examples of my work that I have completed throughout the course of the year. I have stated my reasons as to why I have selected the material.
Below are some pictures of my electronics project for the systems and control module.
The material that I have used to construct this work is Acrylic. I selected this because of the following properties and reasons:
Mechanically the material can be used easily with the laser cutter and other tools/machines it can also be easily shaped. Also as a material it is stiff, hard and durable. Aesthetically the material is shiny in the surface and can be finished to a high standard. Some of the material also allows light to pass through it so appearance wise again it looks pleasing but this also refers to the Physical properties regarding the optical characteristics.
Mechanically the material can be used easily with the laser cutter and other tools/machines it can also be easily shaped. Also as a material it is stiff, hard and durable. Aesthetically the material is shiny in the surface and can be finished to a high standard. Some of the material also allows light to pass through it so appearance wise again it looks pleasing but this also refers to the Physical properties regarding the optical characteristics.
This image shows a model of my chair that I have built and completed for the Design Innovation module.
We were asked to create a working model of our final ideas as if it was going to be presented to clients or manufactures, this meant that it needed to be made in the exact materials if produced to scale.
Firstly, I have used wood to create the chair and the particular wood that I have chosen is Oak.
It is very strong and very durable which means that it can withstand frequent use and forces such as different weights being applied to it. It is fairly easy to work with as a material with tools and machines providing they are sharp. The material can also be finished well and it's overall appearance is quite pleasing and fits in with the surroundings of the churches interiors.
We were asked to create a working model of our final ideas as if it was going to be presented to clients or manufactures, this meant that it needed to be made in the exact materials if produced to scale.
Firstly, I have used wood to create the chair and the particular wood that I have chosen is Oak.
It is very strong and very durable which means that it can withstand frequent use and forces such as different weights being applied to it. It is fairly easy to work with as a material with tools and machines providing they are sharp. The material can also be finished well and it's overall appearance is quite pleasing and fits in with the surroundings of the churches interiors.
Overall, I think that it has been useful for me to look back at my work and re-consider the choices that I have made when looking deeper into the properties of the material. I feel as if I have learnt a fair amount by going back and looking at my work and has made me think about how my projects could have changed in terms of looks and design had I used a different material.
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Professional Year Further Development
Today we during the student lead session on Metals we had to complete which was a learning exercise that tested our ability to identify different types of metal by looking at their properties. It has really helped me to learn a bit more about the properties of metal and recognise the differences by merely looking and touching. I thought it would be a good idea to include this within my audit because it could be a great learning activity for the kids to do.