Building the Fastest Car in the World: Materials Engineering Resource for Teachers

Description:

This activity allows young people to take on the role of a Materials Scientist in order to choose the best materials for each component that makes up the Bloodhound LSR Supersonic Car.

It is aimed at KS3 students Design and Technology students to use transferable skills from the KS3 Science curriculum or use the Periodic Table refresher at the start of the presentation to help them describe why the materials have those properties.

Outcomes:

• Learn about the properties of technical materials, then choose the best materials to make each component of a Supersonic Car.
• Explain your choices in an email briefing to the Chief Engineer, describing how these are the best materials for the job, and why.
• Discover what the role of a Materials Engineer covers, and why it is important.

KS3 Design and Technology National Curriculum links:

• Select from and use a wider, more complex range of materials, components and ingredients, taking into account their properties.
• Understand and use the properties of materials and the performance of structural elements to achieve functioning solutions.

KS3 Science National Curriculum links:

• Atoms, elements and compounds
  • Differences between atoms, elements and compounds.
• The Periodic Table
  • The varying physical and chemical properties of different elements.
  • How patterns in reactions can be predicted with reference to the Periodic Table.
  • The properties of metals and non-metals.
•  Materials
  • Properties of ceramics, polymers and composites (qualitative).

The information pack includes:

1. An interactive PowerPoint presentation with informative videos.
   • Download here (10MB PowerPoint format)
2. Teacher’s notes
   • Download here (PDF format)
3. A labelled poster of the Bloodhound car, describing the challenges each component of the car faces,
   • Download here (PDF format)
4. A database of possible materials that may be printed and laminated as a card deck.
   • Download here (PDF format)
5. A blank diagram of the car for pupils to record their notes in a writing frame.
   • Download here (PDF format)