PLEASE DONT SHARE THE SAME ANSWER WITH OTHER USERS You have

PLEASE DON\'T SHARE THE SAME ANSWER WITH OTHER USERS

You have been asked to design some outdoor patio furniture (chairs, table, etc.). One decision you must make is to choose the material you will use to fabricate the furniture. List and explain 10 desirable properties of the material that you will choose.

Solution

Weight – Furniture for outdoor purpose is often required to be moved in and out of living area/ garage and rearrange, therefore light weight furniture is desirable to ease mobility. Stainless Steel and Wrought Iron is heavier as compared to plastic wood and aluminium. Workability – It is a measure of how well the material will respond to cutting and grinding Modern furniture is often a display of craftsmanship and may involve intricate design. Woods have specific grain direction and it becomes difficult to work if grain direction changes. Aluminium is easy to cut and cast for mass production. Plastics and other synthetic resins (HDPE) are most widely used for their easy casting capability. Assembly- Furniture often involves multiple parts fabricated separately and then joined together in one structure. Wood and synthetic resins (HDPE Wicker) are easy to join with adhesives. Materials like wrought iron, steel, and other alloys will require welding setup which will increase the cost of production and increase the weight of the furniture Weather resistant- Since the furniture might be exposed to extreme heat in summers, rain and cold weather, it is of utmost importance for material to be all weather resistant. Low quality plastics often start chipping when exposed to repetitive cycles of sun and rain. However materials like HDPE and Teak have a very long life and show resistance to adverse weather. Moisture resistant- Due to availability of plenty of moisture and oxygen Steel and other corrosive metals show degradation in quality in spite of various protective coatings. Wood and leather furniture absorb moisture and swell up resulting in disfigured furniture parts. HDPE being a synthetic resin shows best resistance to moisture. Aesthetics- Aesthetics is one of the most important criteria in designing furniture (if it doesn’t looks good, no one will buy it) and more importantly it should maintain its look over time. Over time metallic frames might show signs of corrosion. Wood on the other hand retains it look for quite a long time if proper care is taken. HDPE furniture can be designed extensively and it retains its look for long. Comfortability- While designing, it is taken care of that the furniture should provide proper space and support to comfort one in it Wood and HDPE have a more softer touch as compared to metallic furniture. Wood and HDPE are also insulators and hence they don’t get too hot or too cold when exposed to extreme weather. Durability- The furniture designed should be able to handle adversities of weather and manhandling. High quality HDPE does not show chipping easily for quite a long time. Wooden furniture can last up to 50 years. Aluminium frames being resistant to corrosion last long as compared to other metal frames. Maintenance- It accounts for extra expenditure that customer will have to bear over time. Wrought Iron, Steel and Wood furniture call for high maintenance in order to protect them from corrosion and decaying. Synthetic Resin(HDPE) has very low maintenance and are easy to clean Price and Availability of material- Low cost is desirable and this also depends upon material available in a particular region. Plastic and Aluminium are low cost materials. Stainless Steel and Wrought Iron are little expensive whereas Wood and Synthetic Resin are highly expensive as compared to other materials. Price of wood is also dependent upon its availability in that region as importing it will increase cost of production.