Engineering Materials Flashcards: Plastics, Metals and Processing
96 English cards on material properties, metal and polymer families, manufacturing processes, and qualified selection cases, including sourced ABS and PA6 grades.
Over dit deck
Learn engineering materials through concise retrieval and constrained selection problems. These 96 original English cards connect property vocabulary, metal and polymer families, processing mechanisms and practical evidence checks.
Practise concept-to-explanation recall, selected situation-to-property or process choices, alloy-family recognition, and named-grade interpretation for ABS (INEOS Terluran GP-22) and PA6 (BASF Ultramid B3S and B3EG6). A suggested material or process is a screening candidate, not a qualified design.
The sequence introduces properties, then metals, polymers and manufacturing processes. Each topic progresses from mechanisms to applications. Selected case variants are separated from their foundation cards; the review scheduler handles later spacing.
Excluded: automatic reverse cards for every definition, generic numerical property rankings, machine settings, full phase diagrams and design allowables. Exact material properties require the correct grade, test method, temperature, moisture state, orientation and processing history. This is an evergreen topic deck, not a complete materials course or exam syllabus.
AI-assisted questions, answers and generated cover were independently composed and checked against technical sources. No private learner cards, textbook exercises, exam questions or third-party images were copied. Original wording, organization and generated media are offered under CC0 1.0 to the extent applicable rights exist; facts and third-party source material retain their own status.
Factual references include INEOS Terluran GP-22, BASF Ultramid, University of Illinois materials principles, Instron materials testing terms, TWI injection moulding and American Foundry Society metalcasting.
Independent educational material; no affiliation with or endorsement by the named manufacturers, technical bodies or universities.
Kaarten in dit deck
Kaart 1
Vraag
Engineering stress in a tensile test: force divided by what?
Antwoord
Original specimen cross-sectional area.
Kaart 2
Vraag
Engineering strain in a tensile test: extension divided by what?
Antwoord
Original gauge length. Strain is dimensionless.
Kaart 3
Vraag
Elastic deformation: what happens after unloading?
Antwoord
The deformation recovers.
Kaart 4
Vraag
Young’s modulus describes which material behaviour?
Antwoord
Resistance to elastic tensile or compressive strain, in the linear elastic region.
Kaart 5
Vraag
Yield strength marks the onset of what?
Antwoord
Significant permanent deformation, using the specified yield or proof criterion.
Kaart 6
Vraag
Ultimate tensile strength: which point on an engineering stress–strain curve?
Antwoord
The maximum engineering tensile stress.
Kaart 7
Vraag
Ductility describes what happens before tensile fracture?
Antwoord
How much plastic deformation the material can undergo.
Kaart 8
Vraag
Indentation hardness measures resistance to what?
Antwoord
Localized permanent penetration by an indenter.
Kaart 9
Vraag
Tensile toughness: what does the area under the stress–strain curve to fracture represent?
Antwoord
Energy absorbed per unit volume up to fracture under those test conditions.
Kaart 10
Vraag
Density relates which two quantities?
Antwoord
Mass per unit volume.
Kaart 11
Vraag
Thermal conductivity describes which ability?
Antwoord
Transferring heat through a material under a temperature gradient.
Kaart 12
Vraag
Electrical conductivity describes which ability?
Antwoord
Carrying electric current under an electric field.
Kaart 13
Vraag
Creep: what changes under a sustained load over time?
Antwoord
Deformation increases with time; temperature and stress affect the rate.
Kaart 14
Vraag
Fatigue damage is associated with what loading pattern?
Antwoord
Repeated or fluctuating loading that can initiate and grow cracks.
Kaart 15
Vraag
Brittle fracture: how much plastic deformation precedes it?
Antwoord
Little plastic deformation compared with ductile fracture under the same test conditions.
Kaart 16
Vraag
A bracket bends too far but recovers fully. Which property should you examine first?
Antwoord
Elastic stiffness: material modulus together with the bracket’s geometry.
Kaart 17
Vraag
A metal clip stays bent after one overload. Which threshold was exceeded locally?
Antwoord
Its yield threshold; permanent deformation occurred.
Kaart 18
Vraag
A housing must absorb a drop without fracture. Which evidence matters beyond tensile strength?
Antwoord
Impact-test performance under relevant temperature, notch and geometry conditions.
Kaart 19
Vraag
Two materials have equal yield strength. Must their tensile toughness be equal?
Antwoord
No. Different ductility can produce different energy absorption before fracture.
Kaart 20
Vraag
A plastic clamp slowly loosens at fixed deflection. Which time-dependent effect is this?
Antwoord
Stress relaxation: the stress decreases while the imposed deformation is held.
Kaart 21
Vraag
Does a higher hardness alone prove a part will resist every wear mechanism?
Antwoord
No. Wear also depends on contact, loading, lubrication and the wear mechanism.
Kaart 22
Vraag
Why compare impact results only with matching test conditions?
Antwoord
Specimen geometry, notches, temperature and test method affect measured impact behaviour.
Kaart 23
Vraag
Can a generic family property range serve as a finished-part design allowable?
Antwoord
No. Select a grade, condition and relevant design data before qualifying the part.
Kaart 24
Vraag
A lighter material is proposed for the same-size part. Which property predicts its mass change?
Antwoord
Density, provided the volume remains the same.
Kaart 25
Vraag
Ferrous versus nonferrous metals: what is the defining distinction?
Antwoord
Whether iron is the main constituent. Nonferrous does not mean completely iron-free.
Kaart 26
Vraag
Steel belongs to which basic alloy family?
Antwoord
Iron-based alloys containing carbon, often with other alloying elements.
Kaart 27
Vraag
Why specify a steel grade and heat treatment rather than just “steel”?
Antwoord
Composition and processing change its microstructure and mechanical properties.
Kaart 28
Vraag
What is a grain in a polycrystalline metal?
Antwoord
A crystalline region with a particular lattice orientation.
Kaart 29
Vraag
What separates neighbouring metal grains with different orientations?
Antwoord
A grain boundary.
Kaart 30
Vraag
Which crystal defect commonly moves during plastic deformation of metals?
Antwoord
A dislocation.
Kaart 31
Vraag
Cold working usually trades increased strength for what?
Antwoord
Reduced ductility, as plastic deformation impedes further dislocation motion.
Kaart 32
Vraag
What is a common purpose of annealing a cold-worked metal?
Antwoord
Restore ductility and reduce hardness through a controlled heat treatment.
Kaart 33
Vraag
Quenching in metal heat treatment means what cooling step?
Antwoord
Rapid cooling using a specified medium; the appropriate regime depends on the alloy and intended result.
Kaart 34
Vraag
What gives stainless steel much of its corrosion resistance?
Antwoord
A thin chromium-rich passive surface film.
Kaart 35
Vraag
Why distinguish grey cast iron from ductile cast iron during selection?
Antwoord
Graphite form and resulting mechanical behaviour differ; “cast iron” is not one property set.
Kaart 36
Vraag
Why are aluminium alloys often screened for lightweight structures?
Antwoord
Their relatively low density can help reduce mass; stiffness, strength and geometry still need checking.
Kaart 37
Vraag
Why is copper often screened for electrical conductors?
Antwoord
High electrical conductivity; cost, strength and connection design also matter.
Kaart 38
Vraag
Brass is principally an alloy of copper with which element?
Antwoord
Zinc.
Kaart 39
Vraag
Traditional tin bronze is principally an alloy of which two elements?
Antwoord
Copper and tin. Other bronze families use different alloying additions.
Kaart 40
Vraag
Does “stainless” mean immune to chloride corrosion?
Antwoord
No. Grade, environment and surface condition still govern corrosion resistance.
Kaart 41
Vraag
Two dissimilar metals touch in salty water. Which corrosion mechanism should be checked?
Antwoord
Galvanic corrosion, because electrical contact and an electrolyte can form a galvanic couple.
Kaart 42
Vraag
Can you rank aluminium and steel parts by stiffness using only their material names?
Antwoord
No. Compare the actual moduli and part geometries for the required loading.
Kaart 43
Vraag
A copper alloy is stronger than pure copper. Must it conduct electricity equally well?
Antwoord
No. Alloying changes conductivity as well as mechanical properties; check that alloy’s data.
Kaart 44
Vraag
A steel sheet cracks during forming after extensive cold work. What processing step may restore formability?
Antwoord
An appropriate anneal before further forming; confirm the alloy-specific procedure.
Kaart 45
Vraag
What is a common purpose of tempering a quench-hardened steel?
Antwoord
Improve toughness and ductility, usually with some reduction in hardness.
Kaart 46
Vraag
How can an insulating washer help a dissimilar-metal joint resist galvanic corrosion?
Antwoord
By interrupting the electrical connection, if the whole joint is electrically isolated.
Kaart 47
Vraag
Before approving a welded metal component, which material region besides the weld metal needs consideration?
Antwoord
The heat-affected zone, whose thermal cycle can change properties without melting it.
Kaart 48
Vraag
What is the key processing–structure–property lesson for metal selection?
Antwoord
A chemical composition alone does not determine performance; processing changes microstructure.
Kaart 49
Vraag
A polymer is built from what kind of molecular structure?
Antwoord
Large molecules containing many linked repeating units.
Kaart 50
Vraag
Which polymer class can usually be reheated and reshaped: thermoplastics or cured thermosets?
Antwoord
Thermoplastics. Cross-links in a cured thermoset prevent ordinary melt reshaping.
Kaart 51
Vraag
What deformation behaviour distinguishes an elastomer?
Antwoord
It can undergo substantial deformation and recover toward its original shape when the load is removed, within its working range.
Kaart 52
Vraag
What does “semi-crystalline polymer” mean?
Antwoord
Ordered crystalline regions coexist with amorphous regions.
Kaart 53
Vraag
Which polymer regions undergo glass transition: amorphous or crystalline?
Antwoord
Amorphous regions. Around the glass transition, motion of chain segments becomes much easier.
Kaart 54
Vraag
What structural feature prevents a cured thermoset from flowing like a thermoplastic melt?
Antwoord
A covalently cross-linked network.
Kaart 55
Vraag
Why are plasticizers added to some polymer formulations?
Antwoord
To increase flexibility; the amount and compatibility affect the final properties.
Kaart 56
Vraag
Why add UV stabilizers to a polymer intended for outdoor exposure?
Antwoord
To reduce degradation caused by ultraviolet exposure; the formulation and exposure still need verification.
Kaart 57
Vraag
Why can adding glass fibres make moulded polymer properties direction-dependent?
Antwoord
Fibres become oriented during flow, so reinforcement differs with direction.
Kaart 58
Vraag
What structural change separates glass transition from crystalline melting in a polymer?
Antwoord
Glass transition increases chain-segment mobility in amorphous regions; melting breaks down the ordered crystalline regions.
Kaart 59
Vraag
ABS is an abbreviation for which polymer name?
Antwoord
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene.
Kaart 60
Vraag
PA6 is another name for which polyamide?
Antwoord
Polyamide 6, also called nylon 6.
Kaart 61
Vraag
Why distinguish “dry” from “conditioned” polyamide property data?
Antwoord
Moisture conditioning changes the material state and can change mechanical behaviour.
Kaart 62
Vraag
Does one grade’s ABS datasheet establish the properties of every ABS grade?
Antwoord
No. Formulation, grade, test method and conditions must match the claim.
Kaart 63
Vraag
INEOS Terluran GP-22 is specified for which main shaping process?
Antwoord
Injection moulding; it is a general-purpose ABS grade.
Kaart 64
Vraag
BASF Ultramid B3S is supplied for which main shaping process?
Antwoord
Injection moulding; BASF describes this PA6 grade as easy-flowing and finely crystalline.
Kaart 65
Vraag
A warm polymer bracket carries a constant load for months. Which data are needed beyond a short tensile test?
Antwoord
Long-term creep data for the relevant load, temperature and material condition.
Kaart 66
Vraag
Ultramid B3EG6 differs from unreinforced PA6 by which reinforcement?
Antwoord
BASF specifies glass-fibre reinforcement for this PA6 injection-moulding grade.
Kaart 67
Vraag
Which part category does INEOS identify as a particular application for Terluran GP-22?
Antwoord
Housings, including appliance housings. This is a candidate application, not automatic design approval.
Kaart 68
Vraag
Why keep opened Ultramid B3S granule containers carefully closed?
Antwoord
To limit moisture absorption before processing.
Kaart 69
Vraag
Can glass-filled PA6 data replace unfilled PA6 data in a design check?
Antwoord
No. Reinforcement changes the material; use the exact grade and relevant orientation data.
Kaart 70
Vraag
Must a thermoplastic part be accepted by the local recycling system?
Antwoord
No. Remeltability alone does not establish collection, sorting or recycling compatibility.
Kaart 71
Vraag
For an outdoor ABS housing, is a good indoor impact result enough evidence?
Antwoord
No. Check weathering, temperature and the exact grade’s suitability for the exposure.
Kaart 72
Vraag
BASF lists grips and fixing clamps for Ultramid B3S. What remains to verify for a loaded clamp?
Antwoord
Grade-specific long-term behaviour at the actual temperature and moisture state, plus the part geometry.
Kaart 73
Vraag
Metal casting shapes a part by which change of state?
Antwoord
Liquid metal solidifies inside a mould.
Kaart 74
Vraag
Forging shapes metal by what basic mechanism?
Antwoord
Compressive plastic deformation of solid metal; it may be performed hot or cold.
Kaart 75
Vraag
Extrusion is particularly suited to which basic geometry?
Antwoord
A continuous length with a substantially constant cross-section, formed through a die.
Kaart 76
Vraag
CNC machining is additive or subtractive?
Antwoord
Subtractive: controlled cutting removes material from a workpiece.
Kaart 77
Vraag
Injection moulding of a thermoplastic: what happens after the cavity fills?
Antwoord
The melt cools and solidifies before the part is ejected.
Kaart 78
Vraag
Thermoforming starts from which form of plastic stock?
Antwoord
A sheet heated until formable, then shaped over or into a mould.
Kaart 79
Vraag
Blow moulding is commonly used for which type of plastic part?
Antwoord
Hollow parts, such as bottles, formed by inflating a heated preform or tube in a mould.
Kaart 80
Vraag
Additive manufacturing builds geometry by what basic approach?
Antwoord
Adding material, commonly layer by layer, from a digital model.
Kaart 81
Vraag
In milling, what typically rotates to remove material?
Antwoord
The cutting tool.
Kaart 82
Vraag
Why may a cast part still need machining?
Antwoord
Selected surfaces may need tighter tolerances or a better finish than the casting provides.
Kaart 83
Vraag
Sand casting and permanent-mould casting mainly differ in what tooling feature?
Antwoord
Sand moulds are expendable; permanent moulds are reused.
Kaart 84
Vraag
Why can injection moulding be costly for a very small production run?
Antwoord
Tooling cost is spread across too few parts; compare total cost at the required volume.
Kaart 85
Vraag
A long plastic tube has the same cross-section throughout. Which process is a natural first candidate?
Antwoord
Extrusion, followed by cooling and cutting to length.
Kaart 86
Vraag
A thin plastic packaging tray must be formed from sheet. Which process is a natural first candidate?
Antwoord
Thermoforming; check wall thinning and the required detail.
Kaart 87
Vraag
Why should a forged part’s grain flow be considered in design?
Antwoord
Deformation creates directional structure; the load direction and process route affect performance.
Kaart 88
Vraag
A design needs a few changing metal prototypes. Why consider CNC machining before buying a production mould?
Antwoord
It can make revised parts directly from stock without dedicated mould tooling.
Kaart 89
Vraag
What distinguishes a fusion-weld heat-affected zone from the fusion zone?
Antwoord
The heat-affected zone changes thermally but does not melt; the fusion zone melts and resolidifies.
Kaart 90
Vraag
Why clean and prepare a metal surface before applying a protective coating?
Antwoord
Contaminants and surface defects can impair coating adhesion and performance.
Kaart 91
Vraag
Does a corrosion-resistant coating make the underlying material irrelevant?
Antwoord
No. Damage, adhesion, exposure and substrate compatibility still matter.
Kaart 92
Vraag
Why check build orientation when selecting a layer-built polymer part?
Antwoord
Layer bonding and deposition can make strength depend on direction.
Kaart 93
Vraag
A hollow plastic bottle needs a shaped enclosed body. Which process family should you screen first?
Antwoord
Blow moulding; select the exact variant for the material and geometry.
Kaart 94
Vraag
Many identical thermoplastic housings are needed. Which process deserves early cost comparison?
Antwoord
Injection moulding, because repeat production can spread tooling cost over many parts.
Kaart 95
Vraag
Why does choosing a process also affect material selection?
Antwoord
Materials must tolerate that process and achieve the required finished-part properties.
Kaart 96
Vraag
Before releasing a selected material–process combination, what evidence closes the selection loop?
Antwoord
Verify the exact grade, processing condition and part performance against the actual requirements.
96 kaarten
Engineering Materials Flashcards: Plastics, Metals and Processing
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