Assignment title / Properties of Engineering Materials and their Applications
Assessor / Dave Kirkness
Date issued / 12/02/2016
Final deadline / 11/03/2016
Duration (approx) / 5 hours
Qualification suite covered / BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Award in Engineering
BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Certificate in Engineering
BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Extended Certificate in Engineering
BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Diploma in Engineering
Units covered / Unit 5: Engineering Materials
Learning aims covered / Learning aim A: Know about the properties of common engineering materials and selection for engineering applications
Scenario / You have been asked by your supervisor to prepare and deliver a presentation to your peers about different types of engineering materials, their properties and their applications. You will need to conduct some tests on the materials and interpret the results. You have also been asked to describe some heat treatment processes.
Task 1 / How are engineering materials used?
Prepare a presentation that gives various examples of engineering materials and their engineering applications in the real world.
First, select your examples. You should choose two examples for each of the following types of engineering material:
  • ferrous metals
  • non-ferrous metals
  • composite materials
  • thermoplastic materials
  • thermosetting polymers
  • smart materials.
For each example, give information about:
  • an engineering application of the material
  • its properties (i.e. mechanical, electromagnetic, chemical, thermal)
  • the reasons why it is used for this application (considering its properties)
  • the advantages and disadvantages of the material when it is used for this application.

Evidence you must produce for this task /
  • written/presentation slides
  • supporting notes
  • images

Criteria covered by this task:
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to: / Unit / Criterion reference
Describe examples of each type of material and the properties of these materials in engineering applications. / 5 / 2A.P1
Explain the choice of material for engineering applications. / 5 / 2A.M1
Compare advantages and disadvantages of material choices for engineering applications. / 5 / 2A.D1
Task 2 / Materials testing
Carry out a tensile/ductility test, a shear strength test, a hardness test and a toughness/impact test on two different materials (i.e. a ferrous metal and a polymer) and record your findings.
Use your test results to add to your presentation from Task 1, giving information about:
  • your interpretation of findings from the materials tests
  • two heat treatment processes that can be used to alter the properties of ferrous materials.

Evidence you must produce for this task /
  • annotated photographs of carrying out the tests (process evidence)
  • tables of findings
  • presentation
  • images

Criteria covered by this task:
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to: / Unit / Criterion reference
Carry out a range of simple mechanical tests on engineering materials and interpret the results. / 5 / 2A.P2
Describe two heat treatment processes that alter a ferrous material’s properties. / 5 / 2A.P3
Sources of information / Textbooks
Clarke, S. et al. (2012) BTEC First in Engineering Student Book, Harlow: Pearson Education, 978 1 44690 243 1.
Tooley, M. (2010) BTEC First Engineering, 2nd Edition, Oxford: Newnes,
978 1 85617 685 9.
Wallis, S. et al. (2010) BTEC First Engineering, London: Hodder Education,
978 1 44411 052 4.
Websites
database of material properties
– descriptions of technical design, engineering and construction terms
Note to assessors
We are committed to ensuring that teachers/tutors and learners have a choice of resources to support their teaching and study.
We would encourage them to use relevant resources for your local area such as local employers, newspapers and council websites.
Resources from various publishers are available to support delivery and training for all Pearson and BTEC qualifications so that learners and teachers/tutors can select those that best suit their needs.
Above are some examples of textbooks and websites. Further useful resources may be found at .
If you have not achieved the Level 2 criteria, your work will be assessed to determine if the following Level 1 criteria have been met.
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to: / Unit / Criterion reference
Identify an example of each type of material used in given engineering applications. / 5 / 1A.1
Carry out a simple mechanical test on an engineering material. / 5 / 1A.2
Describe a heat treatment process to alter a ferrous material’s property. / 5 / 1A.3

1

© Pearson 2014