Uses:
It is the main wood source used by man, because of the variety of uses it has. Softwood is the main material construction of buildings, in furniture, in windows, in mouldings, in doors and a lot of other millworks. Also, it is used for the production of paper and is turned into man-made wood i.e. MDF.
Hard Wood:
Hard wood trees on the other hand, mainly come from deciduous trees (right) . However, there is a group of hardwood trees that aren’t deciduous, known as angiosperm trees. Conducted experiments show that hardwoods are higher in density than soft woods but it has to be kept in mind that there are some examples of both groups that considerably overlap, i.e. hardwood
Balsa is softer than regular softwoods, and yew is in the opposite direction.
Hardwoods can be differentiated from softwoods because of the following
Characteristics:
- They have broader leaves
- The contain enclosed nuts/seeds i.e. acorns
Compared to softwood, hardwoods have a much more varied existence of species, almost a hundred times more. This also means that hardwood is used a lot more than softwood, especially in exterior work. It is also used to make day-to-day utensils, as flooring, for constructing buildings, for furniture and a variety of different things.
Man-made wood:
There are three main types of man-made wood, MDF, maisonette and plywood. MDF boards are known as Medium-density fibreboards. It is made by first breaking down softwood to wood fibres, and then two substances called wax and resin are combined with it. This is then used to form panels by applying on it pressure and high temperature. It is a material mainly made up of sawdust. Plywood, another example of man-made wood is created from thin sheets of wood veneers. Each of these sheets are then stacked together in a method called cross-banding. Again, they are bonded under heat and huge amounts of pressure. One of the reasons why plywood
is favoured over plain wood is that it is resistant to warping, cracking, and
shrinkage and is very firm. Maisonette wood is mostly used in the
constructing of houses, which is why maisonette houses are existent today. Maisonette houses are basically houses connected to apartments (above right), which is where the maisonette wood is used.
Metal:
Metal is derived from the Greek word Metallon and is a readily formed element with positive ions which make up metallic bonds. On the periodic table, a diagonal line from polonium to boron divides up the metal elements (left). Elements below the line are metals and elements above the line are non-metals. However, elements along the line are known as metalloids or semi-metals.
Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals:
There are mainly two types of metal, known as ferrous metal and non-ferrous metal. The word ferrous is derived from the Latin word “Ferrum” which means containing iron. This shows that ferrous metals are the ones that contain iron whilst non-ferrous don’t. This is a common way of dividing metal because it is the easiest way to decide which kind of metal you need, because the differences between these two groups are clear and obvious. Ferrous metals are the ones that usually rust, and they are the stronger and heavier. On the other hand, non-ferrous metals are the ones that don’t rust because they don’t contain iron, and are lighter and softer. Non-ferrous metals are those which are a mixture of metals (known as alloys) and do not have iron. Examples of them would be copper, aluminium and brass. Brass is an example of an alloy because it is a combination of copper and zinc. Examples of ferrous metals include: tin plate, cast iron and mild steel.
Plastic:
Plastics are a general group of apparatus that are created by the combination of oil, salt, air and water. Plastics are defined as a group of (natural) organic or synthesized materials that can be shaped when soft and later when they are hardened. The word plastic is derived from the word plasticity because of the fact that many of them malleable. In other words they are capable of being extended or shaped by the force of some kind of pressure. When applying plastic, there are two main types: thermo-set plastic and thermo plastic.
Thermoplastic:
Thermoplastics are characterized as being soft and pliable when heated. This means that it will melt when heated and it will turn into a glassy, brittle state (like that of ice) when cooled down sufficiently. Thermoplastic heat can easily be shaped by heat. This kind of plastic is usually used for packages, especially ones like PBS, polyethylene, polystyrene and acrylic (right).
Thermoset plastics:
Thermoset plastics on the other hand, are the complete opposite. They are stronger, much harder and heat resistant. They cannot be shaped with the use of heat, but at the same time they are very brittle pieces of apparatus. These kinds of plastics are usually in the form of a liquid or powder before being designed and moulded. Compared to thermoplastics, thermosetting plastics are harder and are best suited to higher temperatures. Like thermoplastics, thermoset plastics cannot be recycled by re-melting or remoulding the plastics. Examples of thermoset plastic include: polyester sine, poxy resin and melamine (right).
Bibliography:
1. Parker, Noor. DT Class, October 9th 2006.
2. Wikipedia.org. Media Wild. Registered trademark of Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. A Wikimedia project. 14th October 2006. <www.wikipedia.org>
Research on Existing Products
Survey
- Which theme would you best prefer for a flower vase?
- The theme of love and hearts
- The theme of a sport – please specify which one.
- The theme of flames or fire
- The theme of black and white, contrast in colour
- The theme of visuals/pictures
- Which colour theme would you prefer for a flower vase?
- The colour theme of yellow/orange/light green
- The colour theme of red/orange
- The colour theme of black/brown/gray/white
- The theme of dark blue/light blue/purple/dark green
- How would you prefer a flower vase to stand?
- On a flat, cylindrical shaped stand
- On a 2-D square base/stand
- On the weight of another apparatus/leaning on something
- Any of the above and on a piece of glass
- How big would you like to be (approximately)?
- 8 x 4 cms
- 3 x 6 cms
- 5 x 10 cms
- Normal size of flower vase
- Large size of flower vase
- Small size of flower vase
- What shape would you prefer?
- Square/cube
- Triangle/pyramid
- Cylinder
- Rectangle
- Any kind of parallelogram
- Diamond/rhombus
Survey Results
The survey was conducted to 21 female adults.
Question No. 1:
Question No. 2:
Question No. 3:
Question No. 4:
Question No. 5:
Specifications/justifications
- My test-tube holder will not break if it falls on the ground.
- It will have a 2-D square base to keep it firm, as the survey is also evident of that.
- My test-tube holder will put through the combination of the themes of love and hearts (probably through the use of a heart shape) and that of flames and fire.
- My test –tube holder will be a cylindrical form/shape.
- The colour theme will be mainly that of red ad orange.
- The size of my test-tube holder will fit the test-tube itself perfectly and the shape will hold it firm and still whilst standing.
- The size of the vase will have a ratio of about 1:3, in terms of width: length.
- The test-tube holder will look attractive, and the colour theme may change according to that.