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Material: Classification by Use Classification by Structure

The document discusses different ways to classify materials based on their use, structure, and properties. Materials can be categorized based on whether they are used for construction, insulation, refractory applications, aerospace, or biomaterials. Their structure can be examined at the microscopic or larger scale levels. Materials can also be compared based on their mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties.

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42 views

Material: Classification by Use Classification by Structure

The document discusses different ways to classify materials based on their use, structure, and properties. Materials can be categorized based on whether they are used for construction, insulation, refractory applications, aerospace, or biomaterials. Their structure can be examined at the microscopic or larger scale levels. Materials can also be compared based on their mechanical, thermal, optical, electrical, and magnetic properties.

Uploaded by

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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Material

A material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or
impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified based on their physical and chemical
properties, or on their geological origin or biological function. Materials science is the study of materials
and their applications.

Raw materials can be processed in different ways to influence their properties, by purification, shaping or
the introduction of other materials. New materials can be produced from raw materials by synthesis.

In industry, materials are inputs to manufacturing processes to produce products or more complex materials.

Contents
Classification by use
Classification by structure
Microstructure
Larger-scale structure
Classification by properties
Mechanical properties
Thermal properties
Other properties
See also
References
External links

Classification by use
Materials can be broadly categorized in terms of their use, for example:

Building materials are used for construction


Building insulation materials are used to retain heat within buildings
Refractory materials are used for high-temperature applications
Nuclear materials are used for nuclear power and weapons
Aerospace materials are used in aircraft and other aerospace applications
Biomaterials are used for applications interacting with living systems

Material selection is a process to determine which material should be used for a given application.

Classification by structure
The relevant structure of materials has a different length scale depending on the material. The structure and
composition of a material can be determined by microscopy or spectroscopy.

Microstructure

In engineering, materials can be categorised according to their microscopic structure:[1]: 15–17

Ceramics: non-metal, inorganic solids


Glasses: amorphous solids
Metals: pure or combined chemical elements with specific chemical bonding behavior
Polymers: materials based on long carbon or silicon chains
Hybrids: combinations of multiple materials, for example composites.

Larger-scale structure

In foams and textiles, the chemical structure is less relevant to immediately observable properties than
larger-scale material features: the holes in foams, and the weave in textiles.

Classification by properties
Materials can be compared and classified by their large-scale physical properties.

Mechanical properties

Mechanical properties determine how a material responds to applied forces.

Examples include:

Stiffness
Strength
Toughness
Hardness

Thermal properties

Materials may degrade or undergo changes of properties at different temperatures. Thermal properties also
include the material's thermal conductivity and heat capacity, relating to the transfer and storage of thermal
energy by the material.

Other properties

Materials can be compared and categorized by any quantitative measure of their behavior under various
conditions. Notable additional properties include the optical, electrical, and magnetic behavior of
materials.[1]: 5–7

See also
Hyle, the Greek term, relevant for the philosophy of matter
Matter
Category:Materials

References
1. Ashby, Michael; Shercliff, Hugh; Cebon, David (2010). Materials engineering, science,
processing and design (2nd ed.). Oxford: Elsevier. ISBN 9781856178952.

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Material&oldid=1050298301"

This page was last edited on 17 October 2021, at 00:35 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using
this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

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