Obtaining Raw Materials
Exploring Manufacturing
Chapter 6
After studying this chapter, you will
be able to:





Define renewable and exhaustible resources and
give examples of each.
Describe three different methods for mining raw
materials.
Define and describe two methods of drilling for
oil and gas.
Describe three methods of harvesting forests.
Explain methods by which raw materials are
moved to mills and refineries.
Raw materials
Raw materials are
natural resources
found on or in the
earth or seas.
 All manufacturing
starts with raw
materials.
 These materials are of
two basic types, they
are renewable or
exhaustible.

Resources

Renewable
–
–
–
–
–
Trees
Cotton
Wool
Flax
Animal hides

Exhaustible
–
–
–
–
–
Metal ores
Petroleum
Natural gas
Coal
Clays
RENEWABLE RESOURCES

Renewable resources are biological
materials (growing things).
 Each growing unit (plant or animal) has a
life cycle.
– First, it is planted or born.
– It then grows through stages to maturity (full
size).
– Finally, it becomes old and dies.
Good Example: a tree







It is planted by nature or
people.
It grows and, after a number
of years, reaches full size.
Then, growth slows and finally
stops.
Limbs die and fall off.
Insects, wind, and decay
attack the tree.
In time, it dies and falls to the
forest floor.
There it rots, providing
nutrients (food) for other
plants.
Managing Resources
Managing a resource means making sure
that there is always a supply to use.
 People must plan and work at growing
new resources and knowing when and
how to harvest them.

– Example, a forester should not cut down all
the trees in a forest without planting new
ones.
EXHAUSTIBLE RESOURCES

Exhaustible resources have
a limited supply. There is a
fixed amount of them on
earth. They can be used up.
Like the dinosaurs, a material
can become extinct.
– For example, there is only
so much petroleum, gold
ore, natural gas, or iron ore
on the earth. If we use
them all up, that’s it. Thus,
all resources must be used
wisely.
Obtaining Raw Materials

Obtaining raw materials for manufacturing
is a three-step process. This includes:
– Locating resources
– Gathering resources
– Transporting (moving) resources.
LOCATING RAW MATERIALS

A large part of getting raw materials is
finding them.
– Aerial mapping – using an airplane to take
pictures.
– Geological – under the ground.
 Geologists – people who study the structure of the
earth.
– Grown commercially for money
 Trees
 Livestock
GATHERING RAW MATERIALS

This is done using
three major methods.
– Mining
– Drilling
– Harvesting
MINING

Mining involves digging
resources out of the earth.
– Open-pit mining: a type of
mining used when the
resource is close to the
surface.
– Underground mining: a
mining method that uses
digging tunnels to reach
the material. There are
three major underground
mining methods: shaft
mining, drift mining, and
slope mining.
Shaft Mining

This method is used
for deeply buried
mineral deposits. A
shaft and an air shaft
are dug down to the
level of the deposit.
The material is mined
by digging horizontal
tunnels from the
vertical shaft.
Drift Mining

This method is used
when the mineral vein
comes to the surface
at one point. A
tunnel is dug into the
vein, which is serviced
by rail cars that move
along the drift shaft.
Slope Mining

This method is used
for a shallow mineral
deposit. A sloping
tunnel is dug down to
the deposit. The
minerals are often
carried to the surface
on a moving platform
called a conveyor.
Drilling

A method used to
reach underground
liquid resources such
as oil and water. A
small round hole is
drilled using a derrick
and a drill bit that
grinds up the rock as
it drills.
Vertical Drilling

The most common
type of drilling; the
result is a hole that
runs straight up and
down.
Directional Drilling

A technique that
allows wells to be
drilled at an angle or
along a curve to
reach oil or gas.
Harvesting

Harvesting is a method used to collect a
growing resource. Trees are the major
“growing” resource that produce
engineering materials. Trees are
harvested using one of three methods.
– Selective cutting
– Clear-cutting
– Seed tree cutting
Selective Cutting

A harvesting
technique in that
mature trees are
selected and cut.
Younger trees are left
standing.
Clear Cutting

A method for
harvesting trees that
cuts down all trees
regardless of age or
species.
Seed Tree Cutting

All trees in an area,
except for four or five
large ones, are cut.
The large trees
reseed the area. This
technique is used in
the southern pine
forests.
Harvesting

Harvesting requires several steps.
– First, either trees or the area to be harvested must be
selected.
– Fallers then fell (cut down) the trees.
– Bucker removes the limbs and top
– The tree is cut to standard lengths for the mill.
– The lengths, called logs, are moved to a central
location for loading on trucks or railcars. This task is
called yarding.
– From the yard, the trees are hauled to the mill.
– They are placed in a pond to help retain their
moisture and reduce insect damage.
Transporting Resources





Nearly every type of land and
water transportation is used to
move raw materials.
Coal can be ground up and
mixed with water, forming a
slurry, for pipeline transport.
Trucks of all kinds and sizes
move mineral and forest
products.
Barges and ships are used on
inland waterways and oceans.
In short, the most economical
method is used to move raw
materials from mine, well, and
forest.
Summary
Raw materials are the foundation for all manufactured
goods.
 These materials are either a renewable or an exhaustible
resource.
 They are located, gathered, and transported to primary
processing mills or refineries.
 Commonly, raw materials are gathered through mining,
drilling, and harvesting.
 The gathered resources move over land and on water.
 Then they are transformed (changed) into industrial
materials.

 Define
renewable and exhaustible
resources and give examples of each.
 Renewable resources:
– are biological materials (growing things).
 Trees
 Cotton
 Wool
 Flax
 Animal hides
 Exhaustible resources:
– have a limited supply. There is a fixed amount of them on
earth. They can be used up. Like the dinosaurs, a material
can become extinct.
 Metal ores
 Petroleum
 Natural gas
 Coal
 Clays
Describe three different methods
for mining raw materials.
Shaft Mining
 Drift Mining
 Slope Mining

Define and describe two methods
of drilling for oil and gas.
Vertical Drilling
 Directional Drilling

Describe three methods of
harvesting forests.
– Selective cutting
– Clear-cutting
– Seed tree cutting
Explain methods by which raw materials are
moved to mills and refineries.
Trucks of all kinds and
sizes move mineral
and forest products.
 Barges and ships are
used on inland
waterways and
oceans.

ANY
QUESTIONS?