MATERIALS PROPERTIES

Working properties
Different materials exhibit different working properties. Listed below are the key properties which determine how materials behave. You need to know what each of these terms mean.
 Conductivity
The ability of a material to conduct heat or electrical energy.
 Strength
The ability of a material to withstand a force without breaking or bending.
 Elasticity
The ability of a material to bend and then to return to its original shape and size.
 Plasticity
The ability of a material to permanently change in shape.
 Malleability
The ability of a material to permanently deform in all directions without cracking.
Other terms you should know
 Ductility is the ability of a material to deform, usually by stretching along its length.
 Hardness is the ability of a material to resist wear, scratching and indentation.
 Toughness is the ability of a material to withstand blows or sudden shocks without breaking.
 Durability is the ability of a material to withstand wear, especially as a result of weathering.
 Fusibility is the ability of a material to change into a liquid or molten state when heated to its melting point.

Behave: comportarse
Withstand: Resistirhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Bending: Doblar
Stretching: Extenderse
Wear: Desgaste
Scratching: Arañazos
Indentation: Abolladura
Sudden: bruscos, repentinos
Weathering: Erosión
Molten: Fundido
Melting: fusión

Go to BBC webpage WORKING PROPERTIES

TIMBERS
Softwood timbers usually come from coniferous trees - that is, evergreen, needle-leaved, cone-bearing trees such as fir and pine. They do not have the hard cell structure that gives hardwood trees their name.

Hardwood timbers come from broad-leaved, deciduous trees, and are more important in Design and Technology than softwood timbers. The main hardwood timbers are ash, beech, birch, cherry, elm, iroko, mahogany, meranti, oak, obeche, sapele and teak.

Evergreen: Hoja perene
Needle-leaved: Hojas de aguja
Cone-bearing trees: Coníferas
Fir: Abeto
Cell structure: Estructura cellular
Deciduous trees: Hoja caduca
Ash: Fresno
Beech: Haya
Birch: Abedul
Elm: Olmo
Oak: Roble
Teak: teca

Go to BBC webpage TIMBERS