Fall SAVY 2019: Day 1 – Strength and Structure of Engineering Materials (Grades 5/6)

Posted by hallep on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 in Grade 5, Grade 6, SAVY.

Hello SAVY Parents!

What a fun first day we had in Strength and Structure. This Saturday we started with an investigation of the foundations of strengths and structures, materials science! We learned how different bond types (ionic, covalent, and metallic) result in different material types, all of which serve different functions in building. The three main types of materials are ceramics, polymers, and metals.  Knowing the material category helps us know broad materials properties and determine which materials are best for different types of structures.  Ask your students about different materials properties and how engineers use this knowledge when designing parts!

In the afternoon, we learned about composite materials. A composite is a mixture of two or more materials that have different materials properties.  Combining these different materials results in a new material that’s better than either material alone and allows for a wider range of applications. We wove our own fiber composites and we’ll be testing them next week.

This Saturday we’ll be talking about some unique failure types!

Kelsay