DP Design Technology Questionbank

The joints along railway tracks have noticeable gaps. This is not a design flaw as these gaps serve a purpose, see Figure 5.

Figure 5: The gaps along railway tracks

[Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Track_joint.jpg]

What purpose do the gaps along railway tracks serve?

A. Easy access for maintenance

B. Allow for thermal expansion

C. Ease of transportation

D. To adjust the distance between the wooden sleepers

Define elasticity.

Figure 4 shows an example of a stress / strain graph.

Describe what happens when the stress on a material causes it to exceed its yield point.

Outline one physical property that makes hardwood a suitable choice for the base of the Gramovox^® bluetooth speaker in Figure 13.

Explain one physical property that the material used in the Zuperzozial kitchenware needs to possess.

Outline which physical property would have the greatest impact on the fuel consumption of a plane.

Outline why magneto-rheostatic smart materials would be used in the landing gear of the Boeing 787.

The aircraft canopy of the fighter jet in Figure 4 allows the pilot to see out while flying. It is made from a thick polycarbonate which can absorb the impact of any debris.

Figure 4: An aircraft canopy

[Source: https://pixabay.com]

What mechanical property does this demonstrate?

A. Ductility

B. Hardness

C. Toughness

D. Plasticity

List two properties that are required in the materials used in a smartwatch.

State how the plastic straw gains its stiffness.

Outline why fibres are important for the strength and flexibility of the rope.

List two properties that enable rope to maintain its strength.

List two properties that made cast iron a suitable material for the Bailey Wood Plane.

List two disadvantages of using steel for the body of cars.

Explain why the recycling of steel-reinforced concrete is problematic.

List two properties that made cast iron a suitable material for the Bailey Wood Plane.

Outline one aesthetic characteristic of hardwood that makes it suitable for use in the redesigned Anglepoise lamp.

Explain why timber as a building material is influenced by its physical properties, aesthetic properties and environmental impact.

Outline why photochromatic glass is an appropriate material for the windows of the Boeing 787.

Explain why the Volkswagen (VW) Beetle uses laminated glass for its windscreen.

Explain why the transparency and strength of the glass in Edison’s light globe have contributed to its success.

Explain how the molecular structure of thermoplastics is affected by heat.

What material would be used in the compression moulding process?

A. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

B. Carbon fibre

C. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

D. Urea-formaldehyde

Which plastic is most widely used in the production of water bottles?

A. Polyvinylchloride (PVC)

B. High impact polystyrene (HIPS)

C. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

D. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

Compare the ease of recovery and disposal of thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics.

Which of the following raw materials can be used to make plastics and bioplastics?

I. Plant fibres (cellulose)

II. Crude oil

III. Petrol

A. I and II

B. I and III

C. II and III

D. I, II and III

Outline why polypropylene (PP) is used as a material for a cell/mobile phone case.

Describe the difference between a thermoplastic and a thermosetting plastic.

State the trend of plastic production between 1950 and 2015.

List two reasons why polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is often used for food packaging.

Modern sportswear often advertises its technical capabilities, such as wicking properties, see Figure 6.

Figure 6: Modern sportswear

[Source: Todor Tsvetkov / iStockphoto]

What material is best suited for this application?

A. Silk

B. Cotton

C. Polyester

D. Wool

Outline why fibres are important for the strength and flexibility of the rope.

List two properties that enable rope to maintain its strength.

The 2016 BMW 7 series may be considered a breakthrough in the use of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic in a mainstream car, see Figure 7.

Figure 7: The 2016 BMW 7 series

[Source: Image by Kevauto, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2017_BMW_750i_(G12)_front_3.23.18.jpg]

What advantage is BMW seeking in using this composite material?

A. Flexibility

B. Increased rigidity

C. Light and strong

D. Lower costs

Explain why carbon glass fibre was chosen for the modern rotor sail.

Outline why these bricks are an example of a composite material.

Figure 5 shows a farmer planting rice.

Figure 5: A farmer planting rice

[Source: Rice planting machine 2, katori-city, Japan (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rice-plantingmachine_
2,katori-city,japan.JPG). Image by katorisi under copyright
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en).]

Which production system is the farmer using?

A. Mechanized production

B. Specialized production

C. Automated production

D. Craft production

Outline the scale of production that would be most appropriate for the manufacture of plastic products using the process of injection moulding.

Outline one reason why the plastic straw is mass produced.

Figure 8 shows a child’s garden slide.

Figure 8: A child’s garden slide

[Source: JoenStock]

What would be the predominant manufacturing process for this item?

A. Blow moulding

B. Injection moulding

C. Rotational moulding

D. Compression moulding

Outline one way how products that are produced as a single part can reduce manufacturing costs.

State one possible joining method used to attach the legs to the other parts of the desk.

What manufacturing process uses a laser to harden liquid resin?

A. Fused deposition modelling (FDM)

B. Laminated object manufacture (LOM)

C. Paper-based rapid prototyping

D. Stereolithography

Outline one reason why using injection moulding has resulted in a low estimated material unit cost.

Outline one advantage of injection moulded plastic.

Outline one appropriate manufacturing method for making the plastic straw.

Which of the following is a recognized strategy to achieve Design for Manufacture (DfM)?

A. Developing products in multifunctional teams

B. Contracting external concept design

C. Research for capturing user needs

D. Undertaking Life cycle analysis (LCA)

Outline how design for disassembly can help extend the lifespan of products with multiple parts.

The choice of production systems can be based on criteria such as time, cost and impact on the environment.

Explain one reason why designers would consider impact on the environment as a criterion for selecting manufacturing processes.

Describe how the EVA rubber sole of the Greenfeet Climeate shoe could be moulded.

Designers often strive to design products that enable the principles of the circular economy to be met. However, products are designed so that they cannot be easily disassembled.

Explain why some products are designed so they cannot be easily disassembled.

List two reasons why temporary joining techniques are used when a drone is assembled.

Explain one advantage of using second generation robots instead of first generation robots in manufacturing.

What describes the technology that enables networked devices to exchange information and perform actions without the manual assistance of humans?

A. Computer numerical control (CNC)

B. Machine to machine (M2M)

C. Computer-aided design (CAD)

D. Computer-aided manufacture (CAM)

Explain two ways how the use of robotic manufacturing systems can assist in the production of smartwatches.