Week 5
During this week's lesson, we continued to explore the inter-relationship between materials and design. We also learnt about design for materials. Design for materials is changing the design of a product so that a particular material can be used to make that product.
We were also required to fill up a worksheet, which required us to discuss together how a certain material could be used to directly replace another material in an existing product without making any significant changes to the product design. We also had to figure out how this material could be used to enhance the functionality of another existing product by making some changes to the product design.
The material we chose is nylon, chemical name being polyamide plastic. It is a thermoplastic silky material, first used commercially in a nylon-bristled toothbrush in 1938, followed more famously by women’s stockings in 1940. It is made of polyamide (PA) and was the first commercially successful synthetic polymer. Nylon was intended to be a synthetic replacement for silk, and substituted for it in many different products after silk became scarce during World War II. It replaced silk in military applications such as parachutes and flak vests, and was used in many types of vehicle tires.
Nylon can be customized into highly elastic to viscoelastic grades in a range of different densities and hardnesses It also has excellent adhesion to surfaces of other polyurethanes, metals and other technical plastics. However, it has low impact strength, is flammable and burns easily when exposed to an open flame, and negatively reacts to UV exposure. It is also non-biodegradable and non-renewable, but it is recyclable.
Nylon is lightweight yet strong, and it is touted for its quick-drying capabilities. It holds dye well and is also relatively cheap to produce. It is commonly used to make clothing, backpacks and bags, stockings or tights, outdoor gear such as tents, rope, carpet and many other items we use every day. It is used today to make parachute canopies due to its elasticity, strength, resistance to mildew and availability. Nylon is ideal for projects that require flexible plastic with the ability to be very lustrous, semi-lustrous or dull.
A product that we thought nylon could be used in as a direct replacement to the material currently used in that existing product was the music stand. Music stands are usually made out of metal as they should be able to withstand the weight of many sheets of music scores, and they should also be able to hold their own weight to prevent them from toppling over during a concert. Nylon is able to fulfil these requirements as well, with the added bonus of being easier to transport and carry around, due to its lighter weight, owing to its lower density.
Another product that we thought nylon could be added to to enhance it was the car tyre. Complex nylon-polyester structures enable racing tyres of Formula 1 cars to withstand much larger forces than the tyres on regular cars. In F1 racing, there can be more than 1500 kg of downforce, more than 4 g of lateral acceleration (cornering) and more than 5 g of braking acting on the tyres. F1 tires only last between 60 and 120 km, which is drastically different from the 15,000km street car tyres provide. Nylon enhances the functionality of racing tyres as it allows the car to get a better grip on the track, and it also allows for faster track times and more intense racing for the viewers.
We were also required to fill up a worksheet, which required us to discuss together how a certain material could be used to directly replace another material in an existing product without making any significant changes to the product design. We also had to figure out how this material could be used to enhance the functionality of another existing product by making some changes to the product design.
The material we chose is nylon, chemical name being polyamide plastic. It is a thermoplastic silky material, first used commercially in a nylon-bristled toothbrush in 1938, followed more famously by women’s stockings in 1940. It is made of polyamide (PA) and was the first commercially successful synthetic polymer. Nylon was intended to be a synthetic replacement for silk, and substituted for it in many different products after silk became scarce during World War II. It replaced silk in military applications such as parachutes and flak vests, and was used in many types of vehicle tires.
Nylon can be customized into highly elastic to viscoelastic grades in a range of different densities and hardnesses It also has excellent adhesion to surfaces of other polyurethanes, metals and other technical plastics. However, it has low impact strength, is flammable and burns easily when exposed to an open flame, and negatively reacts to UV exposure. It is also non-biodegradable and non-renewable, but it is recyclable.
Nylon is lightweight yet strong, and it is touted for its quick-drying capabilities. It holds dye well and is also relatively cheap to produce. It is commonly used to make clothing, backpacks and bags, stockings or tights, outdoor gear such as tents, rope, carpet and many other items we use every day. It is used today to make parachute canopies due to its elasticity, strength, resistance to mildew and availability. Nylon is ideal for projects that require flexible plastic with the ability to be very lustrous, semi-lustrous or dull.
A product that we thought nylon could be used in as a direct replacement to the material currently used in that existing product was the music stand. Music stands are usually made out of metal as they should be able to withstand the weight of many sheets of music scores, and they should also be able to hold their own weight to prevent them from toppling over during a concert. Nylon is able to fulfil these requirements as well, with the added bonus of being easier to transport and carry around, due to its lighter weight, owing to its lower density.
Another product that we thought nylon could be added to to enhance it was the car tyre. Complex nylon-polyester structures enable racing tyres of Formula 1 cars to withstand much larger forces than the tyres on regular cars. In F1 racing, there can be more than 1500 kg of downforce, more than 4 g of lateral acceleration (cornering) and more than 5 g of braking acting on the tyres. F1 tires only last between 60 and 120 km, which is drastically different from the 15,000km street car tyres provide. Nylon enhances the functionality of racing tyres as it allows the car to get a better grip on the track, and it also allows for faster track times and more intense racing for the viewers.
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