South Africa Mechanical Technology Grade 12 Syllabus

This syllabus outlines the curriculum for Mechanical Technology in South Africa, focusing on the practical skills and application of scientific principles in mechanical environments. The curriculum is divided into a compulsory generic core and a specialized elective chosen from Fitting and Machining, Automotive, or Welding and Metalwork.

Generic Core

The generic core covers fundamental topics applicable to all specializations. These include:

• Safety: Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, HIV/AIDS awareness, first aid, and safe workshop practices.
• Tools and Equipment: Identification, use, and maintenance of various hand tools, measuring instruments, and basic machinery.
• Materials: Properties, characteristics, and uses of ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys, including the iron-carbon equilibrium diagram.
• Joining Methods: Permanent (welding) and semi-permanent (bolts, nuts, rivets, keys) joining techniques.
• Forces: Types of forces, moments, stress, strain, and basic calculations related to these concepts.
• Maintenance: Principles of preventative, predictive, and reliability-centered maintenance, and the consequences of poor maintenance.
• Engines: Operating principles of two-stroke and four-stroke internal combustion engines.
• Systems and Control: Basic hydraulics and pneumatics principles, and identification of components.

Specialized Electives

Fitting and Machining

This specialization focuses on manufacturing and machining processes using lathes, milling machines, and other related equipment. Key topics include:

• Terminology: Specific terms related to lathe work (diameter turning, taper turning, screw cutting), milling operations (cutting methods, dividing head, centering of cutter), indexing, dovetail slides, and DRO programming.
• Tools: Principles and functions of specialized tooling and equipment, including hardness testers, moments and forces testers, and tensile testers.
• Joining Methods: Calculations related to drill and bolt sizes for various thread types.
• Maintenance: Causes of malfunction and suitable preventative maintenance procedures for lathes, milling machines, and power tools.
• Systems and Control: Functions, advantages, and disadvantages of compound drives, velocity calculations, and transfer of movement.
• Pumps: Purpose and operation of various pump types.

Automotive

This specialization covers petrol and diesel-driven vehicles, motorcycles, and other small engine mechanics. Key topics include:

• Terminology: Workshop administration, including interpreting job instructions and manufacturer specifications.
• Tools: Application of diagnostic equipment such as compression testers, cylinder leakage testers, gas analyzers, and computerized diagnostic scanners.
• Forces: Automotive calculations related to work, power, torque, and compression ratio.
• Maintenance: Use of test equipment for fault diagnosis, engine lubrication systems, and servicing procedures.
• Systems and Control: Operation and function of automatic gearboxes, steering geometry, and electrical systems, including ignition, starting, and engine management systems.
• Engines: Crankshafts, turbochargers, and superchargers.

Welding and Metalwork

This specialization focuses on various welding techniques (gas, electric, MIG/MAGS), sheet metal work, and manufacturing of structures. Key topics include:

• Terminology: Welding terms, symbols, and their application, as well as calculations related to sheet metal work.
• Tools: Use and care of specialized welding and metalworking equipment, including rolling machines, punch and cropper machines, plasma cutters, and hardness testers.
• Joining Methods: Inspection of welds (destructive and non-destructive testing), distortion and stresses in welding, and stress-relieving heat treatment processes.
• Forces: Effects of forces and moments on steel frameworks, stress and strain calculations, and Young's modulus.
• Maintenance: Preventative maintenance for various welding and metalworking machines.
• Developments: Creating and interpreting engineering drawings and templates for various shapes and structures.

Assessment

Assessment in Mechanical Technology consists of:

• School-Based Assessment (SBA): 25% of the final mark, covering theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
• Practical Assessment Task (PAT): 25% of the final mark, assessing practical skills and project work.
• Final Examination: 50% of the final mark, covering the entire year's theoretical content.

This syllabus aims to prepare learners for further studies in mechanical engineering or related fields, or for entry into the workforce as artisans or technicians.