A remotely operated inspection device has a support arm. To make one candidate material, sheets of carbon fibres are placed in a mould and liquid polymer resin is added. The resin becomes solid around the fibres.
Engineers test support arms made from three materials. All the arms have the same dimensions.
| Material | Density in kg/m³ | Maximum load in kN |
|---|---|---|
| Polymer resin | 1200 | 1.2 |
| Aluminium alloy | 2700 | 5.3 |
| Carbon-fibre composite | 1600 | 4.8 |
The support arm must:
Name the matrix and the reinforcement in the carbon-fibre composite.
Explain which material the engineers should use for the support arm. Use all of the data in the table.
118 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Chemistry 10.3 Using materials, covering 10.3.1 Corrosion and its prevention, 10.3.2 Alloys as useful materials, and 10.3.3 Ceramics, polymers and composites. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.