Material categories and properties - OCRMaterial properties
All materials have physical and working properties. Physical properties are the traits a material has before it is used, whereas working properties are how the material behaves when it is manipulated.
Each material has properties that make them good for specific tasks, eg cotton is lightweight and absorbent. The properties of materials must be considered when designing a product, eg a steel pan handle would conduct too much heat and burn the user, whereas beech would be more appropriate as it is tough but a poor conductor of heat.
Materials are commonly found in one of five categories:
absorbency - the ability to soak up moisture, light or heat, eg natural materials (such as cotton or paper) tend to be more absorbent than man-made materials (such as acrylic or polystyrene)
density - how solid a material is. This is measured by dividing mass (grams) by volume (cm3), eg lead is a dense material
fusibility - the ability of a material to be heated and joined to another material when cooled, eg webbing is fusible and can be ironed onto fabrics
electrical conductivity - the ability to conduct electricity, eg copper is a good conductor of electricity
thermal conductivity - the ability to conduct heat, eg steel is a good heat conductor, whereas pine is not
strength - the ability of a material to withstand compression, tension and shearA force across a material, eg scissors cut by applying a shear force., eg in woven fabrics cotton isn’t as strong as wool when pulled
hardness - the ability to withstand impactTo come into contact with another object through force. without damage, eg pine is easier to dent with an impact than oak; therefore, oak is harder
toughness - materials that are hard to break or snap are tough and can absorb shock, eg Kevlar in bulletproof vests is a very tough material
malleability - being able to bend or shape easily would make a material easily malleable, eg sheet metal such as steel or silver is malleable and can be hammered into shape
ductility - materials that can be stretched are ductile, eg pulling copper into wire shows it is ductile
elasticity - the ability to be stretched and then return to its original shape, eg elastane in swimming costumes is a highly elastic material
