Materials and their properties

IES LA ERÍA

2nd ESO
 IES LA ERÍA DEPARTAMENTO DE TECNOLOGÍA

MATERIALS
Index
● Raw materials
● Materials
● Products (Manufactured goods)
● Technical materials
● Properties of materials
▪ Physical properties: density, electrical, thermal, mechanical
▪ Chemical properties:
▪ Ecological properties
▪ Aesthetic properties
● Materials Cycle

RAW MATERIALS

Raw materials are substances that are extracted directly from natural nature

Wood Cotton Granite Oil

There are three different types of raw materials:
● Animal: wool, silk, hide
● Vegetable: cotton, wood, cork
● Mineral: marble, granite, slate, iron, copper

Activity 1. Write two more examples of each type of raw material and indicate its type.

Activity 2. Classify the following raw materials: wool, ivory, petroleum, linen, sand, silk, bamboo,
marble:

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MATERIALS

We obtain a material after transforming a raw material by physical or chemical

processes

We can't find them in nature. We have transformed raw materials into materials
which are ready for manufacturing.

Tableros: boards

Losas: slabs

Wood boards Granite slabs

Lámina: sheet

Plancha: sheet

Chapa: plate

Wood sheets Plastic sheets Metal plates

Listones: strip

Perfiles: profiles

Molduras: moulding

Plastic or metal profiles Wood strips Wood moulding

Barras: bars

Tubos: tubes

Lingotes: ingot
A metal ingot Perfiles de metal Barras de metal

Bobinas/Ovillos

Ball/Roll

Alambre: wire

A roll of thread A Metal Plate Roll Wire

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Tejidos: fabric

Granza (plásticos): chips

Granulados, gravas o
agregados: pellets, gravel
or agreggates

Polvos: powders
Plastic chips Aggregate/granular products

PRODUCTS

A product is any object created by humans to satisfy their needs.

The manufacturing process includes three steps:

1st. Obtaining of raw materials from nature
2nd. Processing them to make materials
3rd. Making products with those materials

Logs A plank of wood A shelf

Activity 3.. Write two different examples of other manufacturing processes.

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Activity 4. Classify the following: clay, mineral of copper, log, chair, glassware, petroleum, sand,
pine board, copper sheets, granite slabs.
Raw material Material Product

TECHNICAL MATERIALS

Material Source and some examples Uses

Tree trunks: Floors

 Natural woods: Pine, cherry, etc. Furniture
Wood
 Derivatives: plywood, chipboard, Paper manufacturing
cellulose paste. Construction materials

Minerals in rocks: Structural components

Metallic Machine parts
 Ferrous: iron, steel, casting
materials Tools
 Non ferrous: copper, tin. Electrical components
Oil, coal, natural gas, vegetable
materials and animal proteins: Toys
Packaging
 Thermoplastics: Polyethylene
Cables
Plastics (PET), Polystyrene (PS), Polyvinyl
White goods
(PVC)
Electric appliances
 Thermosetting: Bakelite, Melamine.
Helmets
 Elastomers: rubber, neoprene
Fibers:
 Natural: wool, cotton, silk, linen,
Thread for making carpets,
Textiles esparto, asbestos.
curtains, clothes, etc.
 Synthetic: plastics (Polyurethane,
Lycra, etc.)
Construction materials
Rocks:
Stones Countertops
Slate, granite, glass, lime, plaster, etc.
Glass
Clay: Bricks
Ceramics Porcelain, pottery, stoneware, Tiles
refractories. Dishes

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Nowadays, there are a lot of compound materials made by joining two or more
materials to obtain different properties. Some examples are concrete, tyres, fiber
cement, etc.
Activity 5. Classify the following technical materials:
Metal or Rocks or
Wood Plastic Textile
alloy ceramics
Brick
Bronze
Granite
Plywood
Titanium
PVC

Materials have different properties that make them useful for different jobs.

Wood
Natural woods can be classified as hardwood or softwood depending on the tree it
comes from. Oak, cherry, beech and mahogany
are examples of hardwoods; pine, fir and poplar
are examples of softwoods. There also are
prefabricated wood products made from wood
sheets, fibres or chips that are compressed and
glued together such as plywood, chipboard and
fiberboard. In general, wood is strong, flexible
and long-lasting. It is an insulator of heat and
electricity. It’s used to make things such as
furniture.

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Metals
Metals are found in ores solid materials called minerals, usually in rocks, from
which the pure metal has to be extracted. The properties of pure metals can be
improved by mixing them with other metals to make alloys. Metallic materials can
be classified as ferrous (iron, steel and casting) and non ferrous (copper, nickel,
aluminium, bronze, etc.). Most metals are strong, hard and shiny materials that
can be hammered into different shapes without breaking. They are good
conductors of heat and electricity and some are magnetic. Their properties make
them useful for objects such as cutlery, saucepans, cars and coins.

Plastics
Plastics can be made from vegetable raw materials
(for example cellulose and latex) or animal raw
materials such as casein (a protein found in milk).
Synthetic plastics are made with compounds that
came from petroleum, natural gas or carbon. Most
plastics that we use today are synthetic. In general,
plastics are strong and waterproof. They can be
made into any shape by applying heat. Plastics are
not magnetic. They are good insulators and don't
conduct heat or electricity. They're used to make
things like bags, bottles and toys.

Fabrics
Fabrics are made from thin fibres
woven together. Fibres can be natural
(cotton, linen, silk) or synthetic which
are made from plastics (polyurethane,
polyamide) Different fabrics have
different properties. They can be
stretchy (a pair of tights), insulating (a
woollen coat) or absorbent (a towel).
Fabrics are used to make clothes as
they are flexible, warm and do not
wear out easily.

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Stone
Stone is extracted from natural deposits called quarrying. The stone blocks are
processed by cutting, shaping and polishing them. Some aggregates are used
during the process for
cleaning, crushing and
sorting the stone blocks.
Marble, granite and slate are
materials found in nature as
large blocks of rocks, but we
can also find them in
different sizes and fragments
for example sand and gravel.
Glass is made by melting
sand and other minerals
together at very high
temperatures. It is normally transparent and can be made into different shapes.
Thick glass can be strong, but thin glass breaks easily. It’s used for objects that
need to be transparent, such as windows and spectacles. Stone materials are
often used for construction because they are strong, durable and very resistant to
weather conditions.

Ceramic materials
Ceramic materials are made from clay.
Clay is a fine-grained earth composed
of aluminium silicates and other
substances. When clay is wet, it is
both soft and pliable, so it can be
shaped very easily. Once clay dries, it
becomes porous and chemically inert,
as well as resistant to high
temperatures. It has many different
colours; it's abundant in nature and
very versatile.

All products are made or manufactured from a material. To design and make
products it is necessary to know:
● The available materials
● The properties of materials
● The construction and manufacturing processes
● The cost
● The environmental impact
It is important to select the most appropriate material for each use

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Activity 6. Answer the following questions and explain your answer:

Can we use a plastic to make the inner part of a cable?

Can we use wood to make the body of a saucepan?

Can we use a glass to make a hammer?

PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS
We use different materials to make objects depending on their properties. The
properties of a material are the characteristics which define it.

Electrical Conductivity
Conductivity
Thermal Expansion (Dilatación)
Fusibility
Opaque
Optical Translucent
Transparent
Magnetical Magnetism
Elasticity
Plasticity
Malleability (Maleabilidad)
Physical Ductility (Ductilidad)
Hardness (Dureza)
Mechanical Toughness (Tenacidad)
Brittleness (Fragilidad)
Mechanical resistance
PROPERTIES Weariness (Fatiga)
OF Machinability
MATERIALS (Maquinabilidad)
Acoustic Conductivity
Density
Others Porosity
Permeability
Chemical Oxidation
Recyclable
Toxic
Ecological
Biodegradable
Renewable
Texture
Sonority
Colour
Sensorial/Aesthetic
Shape
Smell
Brightness

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 IES LA ERÍA DEPARTAMENTO DE TECNOLOGÍA

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Electrical conductivity shows the ability of a material to

conduct electricity.
● Some materials conduct electricity. They are electrical
conductors, e.g. metals.
● Other materials do not conduct electricity. They are
electrical insulators, e.g. wood and plastic.

Thermal conductivity shows the ability of a material to

conduct heat.
● Conductivity
o Thermal conductors are materials that conduct
heat. Metals are good thermal conductors.
o Thermal insulators don´t conduct heat. Wood, cork
and plastic are thermal insulators.
● Thermal expansion: some materials expand or get
bigger when they are heated up. They contract or get smaller when they are
cooled down. Metals have these properties.
● Fusibility: some materials are fusible or convertible from a solid to a liquid
state by heat. E.g. metals, plastic, glass, etc.

Activity 7. Classify the following materials according to its electric behaviour:

Insulator Conductor
Copper ◻ ◻
Glass/crystal ◻ ◻
Aluminium ◻ ◻
Wood ◻ ◻
Plastic ◻ ◻
Seawater ◻ ◻
Iron ◻ ◻

Optical properties
● Opaque materials do not allow light to pass through
them.
● Translucent materials allow light to pass through
them but not enough to see through them.
● Transparent materials allow light to pass through
them.

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Magnetic properties
Some metallic materials attract other metallic materials, e.g. iron, nickel, etc.

Mechanical properties show the behavior of a material when applying external

forces:

● Elasticity an elastic material recovers its

shape after being deformed by an effort.

● Plasticity. The material doesn´t recover its

shape after being deformed.

● Malleability allows a material to be

spread into sheets or films. These
materials are malleable.

● Ductility allows a material to be formed

into filaments or wires. These materials
are ductile.

● Toughness is the resistance of a material to be

broken by an effort.

● Brittleness. The material breaks easily. It is the

opposite of toughness.

● Hardness shows the ability of a material to

withstand being scratched.

Moh's scale of minerals was created to indicate the hardness of the minerals.
Minerals are graded from 1 to 10 according to how hard they are.

Activity 8. Complete the following sentences:

a. The resistance of a material to be scratched is:
b. A _____________ material can withstand high stress or strain.
c. Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change in shape, area, and volume in
response to a change in temperature. For many solids, ______________________ is
directly proportional to temperature change.
d. A _______________material lets light pass through, but objects on the other side can't be
seen clearly.
e. A _______________ material can be flattened into sheets.
f. A _______________ material can be pulled into wire

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● Mechanical resistance shows the ability of a material to withstand forces

without breaking

Traction

Compression

Torsion

Fle
xio
n

Shear/Cutting

● Weariness or fatigue deformation in metals or other

materials is caused by repeated variations of stress.

● Machinability shows how easily it can be machined a

material using a cutting tool

● Casting shows the ability of a molten material to fill a mould.

Other physical properties

● Density is the relationship between the mass of an object and
its volume.
● Porosity indicates the ability of a material to absorb liquids.
Some materials, such as wood, have pores and can absorb
water.
● Permeability shows the ability of a material to allow gases or liquids to go
through it.
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ECOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
● Recyclable materials: can be reused (glass, paper, metal,
etc.)
● Toxic materials : harmful to the environment (mercury,
petroleum, …)
● Biodegradable materials decomposed naturally and
don´t damage the environment (paper, water-soluble
plastics, etc.)
● Renewable materials can be regenerated: wood,
cotton, etc.
● Non-renewable can´t be regenerated: coal, oil and
minerals

AESTHETIC PROPERTIES
Some aesthetic properties are colour, texture (soft, rough, viscous, abrasive, etc.),
sonority, shape, smell, etc.

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
Oxidation is the reaction of a material with the oxygen of the
atmosphere. The reddish-brown substance produced is called rust

Activity 9. Indicate which material you would use to make the following products and the main
properties that the material must have.
Material Properties

Rubber band

Ruler

Bags

Car headlights

Pan

Cooking spoon

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Materials cycle

Activity 10 Which are the most common materials in labelled clothes?

Activity 11 Why are some handles of tools made of plastic?
Activity 12 Give two examples of technological objects made of transparent materials. Can they
be replaced by non transparent materials?
Activity 13 Activity 13: How can we know if a material is a good thermal conductor?
Activity 14 Which property must a material have to be soldered? Can glass, metal and plastic be
soldered? And wood? Why?
Activity 15 What´s the difference between elastic and plastic materials? Name two technological
products made of elastic materials.
Activity 16 Can a hard material be fragile? Why? Give an example.
Activity 17 Which is denser, cork or marble? How can you prove it?
Activity 18 Indicate the properties of the following materials:
Material Reciclable Toxic Biodegradable Renovable
Paper
Mercury
PET

Activity 19 Join each material with its group:

PVC Wood
Marble Metallic materials
Clay Plastics

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Silk Fabric
Iron
Stones
Plywood
Activity 20 Which materials would you use to soundproof a room? Why?

Activity 21 Indica si las siguientes afirmaciones son verdaderas o falsas. Corrige las falsas.

Frases Verdadero Falso

1.- El vidrio es un material muy tenaz.
2.- Un material duro es aquel que no se rompe cuando lo golpeamos.
3.- El vidrio es más duro que el plomo.
4.- Un material de 800 Kg/cm flota en el agua.
3

5.- Un material de densidad 0,5 g/cm flota en el agua.

3

6.- La plastilina debe su nombre a la elasticidad que posee.

7.- Un plato de cerámica es frágil.
8.- La ductilidad es la facilidad que presentan algunos materiales de extenderse en láminas cuando se les
comprime.
9.- La parte de una olla que está en contacto con el fuego ha de tener una conductividad térmica muy
elevada.
10.- Cuando un objeto de metal está sometido a la acción de los agentes atmosféricos, decimos que está
sometido a colabilidad.

Activity 22 Join the elements of the following table:

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De la armadura de bronce al chaleco antibalas

Autor: Juan Sala Schiewe

La armadura surgió de la necesidad de protección personal del guerrero y se empleó de forma

generalizada en los siglos XV, XVI y XVII. La primera referencia de una armadura data del 2.000 a.C.
en Mesopotamia. Estaba compuesta por pequeñas láminas de bronce. En la Grecia
Clásica la armadura era también de bronce y constaba de yelmo, peto, espinill
espinilleras y
escudo. Los generales romanos usaron una parecida, pero los soldados llevaban tiras
de hierro sobre correas en hombros y cuerpo. La cota de malla se extendió a comienzos
de la Edad Media. A partir del siglo XIII se sustituyó por un traje formado por planchas
de acero que pesaba entre 18 y 29 kilos.

Con la aparición de las armas de fuego (siglo XVII) la armadura decayó

y se redujo a una coraza para el pecho y la espalda. En la Primera Guerra Mundial
se recobró el casco de acero y se adoptaron pesada
pesadass defensas para misiones
especiales.

En la Segunda Guerra Mundial aparecieron los chalecos de protección de nylon.

Actualmente un chaleco de kevlar puede detener el impacto de una bala.

Texto extraído del suplemento “Tercer Milenio” publicado por Heraldo de Aragón S.A.

Activity 23:
1. Busca en el diccionario y copia la definición adecuada de todas las palabras de la lectura
que no conozcas.
2. ¿Qué propiedades crees que deben tener los materiales utilizados para la fabricación de
“armaduras”?
3. ¿Qué materiales se nombran en el texto? Indica a qué grupo de la clasificación pertenecen.

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