Why is mild steel used for car body panels?

Mild steel is ductile and malleable, so it can be pressed into complex panel shapes. Mild steel is cheap and easy to weld on an assembly line.

What is medium carbon steel, and what is it used for?

Medium carbon steel contains about 0.35% to 0.7% carbon and is stronger and harder than mild steel. Medium carbon steel is used for garden tools, gears, shafts and axles.

Why is medium carbon steel chosen for a garden spade rather than mild steel?

Medium carbon steel is harder and more wear resistant, so the blade keeps its edge in stony soil. The steel remains tough enough not to crack when levered.

CCEA A-Level Technology and Design 8900

Material Selection and Wood

Topic overview Material selection criteria Physical and mechanical properties Hardwoods, softwoods and timber stock sizes Pine, ash, beech, oak and mahogany Manufactured boards Wood finishes, veneers and laminates

Metals

Topic overview Ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys Metal stock forms and sizes Aluminium, copper, brass and zinc Carbon steels and stainless steel Finishes for metals

Plastics

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Composite and Emerging Materials

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Processing Materials

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Product Analysis and Design Communication

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Design for Manufacture, Quality and Safety

Topic overview CAD modelling, virtual imaging and rapid prototyping CAM and CIM Factor of safety and tolerances Testing and inspection of products Risks in workshop and manufacturing processes

Electronic Control SystemsOption A

Topic overview Control systems, feedback and electronics safety Resistors, Ohm's law and power ratings Capacitors and RC timing Potential dividers, sensors and comparators Switches, pull-up and pull-down resistors Output devices and LEDs Transistors, Darlington pairs and thyristors Logic gates, truth tables and flip-flops 555 monostable and astable timers

Microelectronic Control SystemsOption A

Topic overview Microcontroller systems, ADCs and DACs Strain gauges and bridge circuits Optical switches, encoded discs and Schmitt triggers Op-amp amplifiers and gain Zener diodes and voltage regulators Karnaugh maps and binary counters Seven-segment, LCD and dot matrix displays PIC flowcharts and programming DC motors, stepper motors and driver circuits

Mechanical and Pneumatic ComponentsOption B

Topic overview Open and closed loop mechanical and pneumatic control Safe working with compressed air and mechanisms Levers, linkages and moments Gear types and gear trains Pulleys, belts, chains and shaft fixings Cams, cranks and converting motion Compressed air supply and pneumatic valves Cylinders, shuttle valves, restrictors and reservoirs Pneumatic circuits for logic, timing and speed control

Mechanical and Pneumatic SystemsOption B

Topic overview Hydraulics, system limitations and plant safety Torque, work, power and air consumption Vacuum handling, proximity sensors and 5/3 valves Sequential and cascade pneumatic circuits Cam profiles and follower displacement diagrams Gear geometry, pulley blocks and ratchets Toggles, treadles, shafts and couplings Friction, brakes and clutches Bearings, lubrication and seals

Designing and Manufacturing ProductsOption C

Topic overview Research, questionnaires and specifications Idea generation, critiques and computer simulation Manufacturing planning and product evaluation CFRP, GRP, Kevlar and tungsten carbide Smart materials, nanotechnology and biophotovoltaics Isometric, perspective and assembly drawing Laminating, steam bending, cutting and printing processes Risk assessment and product safety law Scales of production, JIT and cell production Quality assurance, ISO 9001 and continuous improvement Design influences and intellectual property rights

Product Design in Industry and SocietyOption C

Topic overview Life-cycle environmental impact and climate change The 6Rs, waste and environmental legislation Sustainable metals, plastics and degradable polymers Product life cycles, consumer types and relaunches CAD, CAM, 3D scanning and quick-change moulding Market pull, technology push and market strategy Price, place and promotion Jigs, fixtures and ICT in quality control Design for maintenance, inclusion and scale production Rendering, typography and presentation Dyson, Baylis, Memphis and Apple

Product Development

Topic overview Choosing a product to redesign Analysing the function and fitness for purpose of existing products Materials, manufacture and sustainability of existing products Ergonomic and aesthetic analysis Redesign modifications, sketching and viability Modelling, testing and evaluating a redesign

Product and System Design and Manufacture

Topic overview Clients, end users and design briefs Researching existing solutions and writing a specification Generating and appraising design proposals Developing a concept with numerical analysis, ergonomics and aesthetics Working drawings and planning manufacture Testing and evaluating a prototype

Metals

Carbon steels and stainless steel

3 things to know
AS 1 Paper 1

Overview

Mild, medium and high carbon steels, their carbon content, properties and uses, the effect of carbon, and stainless steel, 18/8 and its uses in surgery and outdoors.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

How are plain carbon steels classified?

Key term

State the approximate carbon content of mild steel and describe its properties.

Key term

Why is mild steel the most widely used steel?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
How are plain carbon steels classified?
Model answer
Plain carbon steels are classified by carbon content into mild, medium carbon and high carbon steel. The carbon content decides the hardness, strength and ductility of each.
2
State the approximate carbon content of mild steel and describe its properties.
Model answer
Mild steel contains about 0.15% to 0.35% carbon. Mild steel is tough, ductile and malleable but rusts readily if unprotected.
3
Why is mild steel the most widely used steel?
Model answer
Mild steel is cheap, strong and easy to cut, bend, weld and machine. Mild steel suits girders, gates, brackets, and nuts and bolts.
4
Why is mild steel used for car body panels?
Model answer
Mild steel is ductile and malleable, so it can be pressed into complex panel shapes. Mild steel is cheap and easy to weld on an assembly line.
5
What is medium carbon steel, and what is it used for?
Model answer
Medium carbon steel contains about 0.35% to 0.7% carbon and is stronger and harder than mild steel. Medium carbon steel is used for garden tools, gears, shafts and axles.
6
Why is medium carbon steel chosen for a garden spade rather than mild steel?
Model answer
Medium carbon steel is harder and more wear resistant, so the blade keeps its edge in stony soil. The steel remains tough enough not to crack when levered.

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Material Selection and Wood

Metals

Plastics

Composite and Emerging Materials

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AThe total resistance is 2 kΩ.

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