Mr. Bartos - Teacher Website
Overview:
Material properties are an important piece of information that engineers rely on when selecting the best material for a design solution. For instance, in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster, an o-ring seal failed, causing the death of seven astronauts. A misunderstanding about the limits of a material led to this accident. Engineers often deal with the design of useful products that require materials with certain characteristics or properties. Complexity is increased when we consider that new materials are constantly being developed, and their application in new products drives economic growth. Engineers, therefore, must know how to make sense of the multitude of different materials available. When existing materials don’t provide the desired properties, engineers create new materials called synthetics. Synthetic materials allow engineers to be extremely innovative when designing solutions to society’s needs. Sometimes the focus isn’t on the creation of a new material, but on the creation of advanced recycling technology. Nike is one of several corporations assisting engineers with innovative recycling technology. For instance, Nike has worked with engineers to develop a method of recycling athletic shoes. The recycled shoes are ground up and used for the production of basketball courts, tracks, playgrounds, etc. This lesson is designed to provide students with an opportunity to investigate the basic categories and properties of materials. Students will discover how products are made and how they are recycled once they are no longer useful.