Chapter 5 Plastic, Textiles, Stone and Ceramics

1.- Plastics

Plastics are materials formed by polymers which are a long chains of carbon atoms.

There are two types:

Natural Plastics are obtained directly from raw vegetable and animal materials.

Synthetic Plastics are made from compounds extracted from petroleum, natural gas and carbon.

The transformation of these raw materials and compounds into plastics is called polymerisation.

- Properties of Plastics: Strength, hardness, elasticity, rigidity, flexibility, electric and thermal
insulators.

Classification of plastics

Thermoplastics Thermostable plastics Elastomers

When we heat them, they Become soft when heated and can Made by vulcanization
become soft and can be formed be shaped Hard, resistant and very elastic
into different shapes.

Formation Techniques

Extrusion: we apply pressure on a rotating screw to force the liquid plastic through a nozzle.

Lamination: we pass thermoplastic through a series of rollers to produce large sheets of plastic.

Vacuum forming: we use this technique with sheets of plastic that have a large surface.

We also use moulds to make plastic objects in order to use the techniques of blow moulding, injection
moulding and compression.

Shaping and joining techniques

Cutting tools: cutter, scissors, steel bit, fretsaw, scroll saw, power press and hot metal thread trimmer.

Perforating tool: Drill

Filling tools: File and Rasp.

Temporary Joints: Nuts and bolts, standard screws.

Permanent Joints: Adhesives and soldering.

2.Textiles

We use textiles in the form of threads to produce cloth. They can be natural or synthetic.

Natural Fibres: We obtain it from raw materials.

Vegetable origin: Cotton, linen and hemp.

Animal origin: Wool and silk.

Mineral origin: Asbestos, gold and silver threads.

Synthetic fibres ares plastics made of nylon, polyester, rayon and Lycra.

3.- Stones

Stones are found in large blocks in the earth like marble, granite and slate.

Marble and granite have high density, are hard and are very resistant to environmental conditions. They are
used on walls and floors, architecture and sculpture.

Slate is hard, dense and waterproof. It´s used in roofs and paving.

4.- Stone binders

Binders are used to join other materials together.

- Plaster is processed from crushed gypsum that is dehydrated. It´s used to make archways, partitions and
covering walls.

- Cement is a grey powder made from a mixture of crushed and heated limestone, clay and gypsum.

- Mortar is made from cement and sand, hardens when mixed with water. It´s used to hold together
construction materials and to make artificial stone.

- Concrete is a mixture of gravel, sand, water and cement. It´s used to make foundations for buildings,
bridges, etc.

5.- Ceramics

We make ceramics from clay.

There are two large groups: structural ceramics ( permeable) and whiteware ceramics ( impermeable).

6.- Glass

Glass is a transparent or translucent material that can have different textures and colours. It´s waterproof,
smooth, and hard but fragile, resistant to environmental conditions and to chemical elements, and a good
thermal, electrical and acoustic insulator.

Glass are made by mixing sand, sod (sosa) and limestone (cal) and heat together at a very high temperature.