Focus on Fabrics: Putting Materials to Good Use
Students come to understand the basics of engineering associated with the use, selection, and properties of fabrics. A wide variety of natural and synthetic fibers are used in our clothing, home furnishings and in our travel and sports equipment. The specific material chosen for each application depends on how closely the properties of the material match the design needs. This activity focuses on the different characteristics of fabrics and shows students how natural and synthetic fabrics differ from one another. Students weigh the advantages and disadvantages of fabrics when considering the appropriate fabric to be used.
How do fabrics relate to engineering?Copyright 2013 Denise W. Carlson. Used with permission.
As part of their designs, engineers and material scientists consider the type of material that will be used. They look at all aspects of the problem and choose materials that best meet the needs and wants of the client and/or application. Besides clothing, fabrics are designed for and used in furniture, medical devices, speakers, agriculture and an uncountable number of engineered products.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Use engineering terms involving decisions related to advantages and disadvantages of process and products.
- Analyze a product to determine the need it was designed to meet and the customer(s) it was mean to attract.
- Invent a product to meet a need.
- Use science, math and engineering principles to design and optimize the product.