Explain how a designer would compare two materials for a component, describing the tests and the information needed to make the decision. [8]

Assessment: Design & Technology: Product Design 9252 | Paper 1 Mock 01 | Technical, designing and making principles Subject: Design & Technology: Product Design - 9252

Question 1 Report

Explain how a designer would compare two materials for a component, describing the tests and the information needed to make the decision. [8]

Answer Details

A material comparison begins with the component's actual requirements, not simply a list of properties.

  1. First quantify the specification: state the load, permitted deflection, operating temperature range and required service life. Without these, it is not meaningful to decide which material is better. [2 marks]
  2. Use supplier data to compare modulus, tensile strength, density and cost per kilogram. This permits comparisons such as strength per unit mass and stiffness per unit mass. [2 marks]
  3. Test samples where published information does not represent the conditions of use. A tensile test checks strength, a hardness test assesses wear resistance, and an impact test assesses behaviour under a blow. [2 marks]
  4. Test long-term behaviour separately because creep, fatigue and ultraviolet degradation may not appear in a short test. [1 mark]
  5. Compare the cost of the finished component, including waste and processing, rather than only raw-material price. [1 mark]

The decision should therefore be based on measured performance against the specification, long-term behaviour and total manufacturing cost. [8 marks]

Read lesson note on Materials And Their Working Properties (OxfordAQA)
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