Fig. 1 shows an outdoor bench that must last twenty years with little maintenance. Explain how the designer should select materials and components for this ...
Question 1 Report
Fig. 1 shows an outdoor bench that must last twenty years with little maintenance. Explain how the designer should select materials and components for this product. [6]
Answer Details
The selection must be based on long-term outdoor performance, including the structure, fixings, detailing and finish.
- Structural materials: choose a material that resists weathering with little regular treatment, such as naturally durable hardwood, galvanised or stainless steel, or stabilised recycled polymer. Untreated softwood is less suitable because it will deteriorate outdoors [2].
- Fixings: use stainless-steel or galvanised fixings. Ordinary steel screws can corrode, stain nearby material and eventually fail [2].
- Materials in contact: avoid galvanic corrosion by choosing compatible metals or separating dissimilar metals where they meet [1].
- Construction and finish: shape details so water sheds rather than collects, and select a finish that can be repaired in place instead of requiring removal of the bench [1].
Judgement: for a twenty-year, low-maintenance bench, durability of every exposed part matters. A durable frame alone is not enough if corroding fixings or water-trapping details cause early failure. This is the developed coverage needed for the highest level, [5–6].
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