QLD · QCAAQ&A
EngineeringQ&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every QLD Engineering syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Unit 3: Civil structures
- Determine the shear force and bending moment at points along a simply supported beam under point and distributed loads, and relate maximum bending moment to the risk of structural failure1Q&A pairs
- Apply the factor of safety to relate the maximum (failure) stress of a material to the allowable working stress, and select or verify a member size against the expected load2Q&A pairs
- Apply the conditions of static equilibrium to determine unknown forces acting on a structure, using free-body diagrams and the resolution of forces into perpendicular components4Q&A pairs
- Identify and quantify the dead, live and environmental loads acting on a civil structure and combine them to find the total design load on a structural element5Q&A pairs
- Define and compare the mechanical properties of engineering materials, including strength, stiffness, ductility, hardness and toughness, and justify a material selection for a structural application1Q&A pairs
- Describe the standard destructive and non-destructive tests used to measure tensile strength, hardness, impact toughness and other mechanical properties, and interpret the data they produce4Q&A pairs
- Calculate the moment of a force about a point and apply moment equilibrium together with force equilibrium to determine the support reactions of a simply supported structure3Q&A pairs
- Calculate stress, strain and Young's modulus for a material under axial load, and interpret the elastic region, proportional limit and Hooke's law from a stress-strain diagram3Q&A pairs
- Interpret a stress-strain diagram to identify the proportional limit, yield point, ultimate tensile strength and fracture, and distinguish elastic from plastic behaviour and ductile from brittle materials0Q&A pairs
- Analyse a statically determinate pin-jointed truss using the method of joints to find the magnitude and nature (tension or compression) of the force in each member1Q&A pairs
- Classify civil structures by form and load path, and explain how the choice of structural form responds to the function, site and social or environmental context of a project0Q&A pairs
Unit 4: Machines and mechanisms
- Calculate the speed ratio of a belt or chain drive from the pulley or sprocket diameters, and compare belt and chain drives for slip, distance and load capacity0Q&A pairs
- Explain how a cam and follower converts rotary motion into a programmed reciprocating or oscillating motion, and interpret the displacement diagram that describes the follower's movement3Q&A pairs
- Apply the engineering problem-solving process to a machine or mechanism brief, explaining how data, prototyping and evaluation against criteria drive the development of a justified solution4Q&A pairs
- Calculate the gear ratio, output speed and output torque of a simple and a compound gear train, and explain how gears trade rotational speed against torque2Q&A pairs
- Analyse the three classes of lever using the principle of moments, and identify how simple machines such as levers, pulleys, wheel-and-axle and inclined planes provide mechanical advantage3Q&A pairs
- Explain how linkages and the four-bar mechanism transmit and change motion, identify common linkage types, and analyse the motion they produce from their geometry2Q&A pairs
- Describe machine control using the input-process-output model, distinguish open-loop from closed-loop (feedback) control, and identify the role of sensors, controllers and actuators6Q&A pairs
- Calculate mechanical advantage, velocity ratio and efficiency for simple machines such as levers, pulley systems and inclined planes, and explain the trade-off between force and distance3Q&A pairs
- Calculate torque as the turning effect of a force, and relate torque and rotational speed to mechanical power transmitted by a rotating shaft4Q&A pairs
- Classify the four types of motion (linear, rotary, reciprocating and oscillating) and explain how mechanisms convert between them in real machines2Q&A pairs