1 lecture

1. What are the factors which influence the design of an aircraft?

Load factors, stresses, shear loads, compression, bending, buckling, other aerodynamic forces,
strength, stiffness, toughness, resistance to corrosion, resistance to heat, fatigue, ease of fabrication,
availability and consistency of supply, and cost.
2. What are the main groups of materials used in aircraft construction?
Wood, steel, aluminium alloys, titanium alloys, and fibre-reinforced composites.
3. How is materials technology related to materials science?
Both fields deal with the properties and behaviour of materials. Materials science is concerned with
understanding the fundamental nature of materials, while materials technology is concerned with
applying this knowledge to create useful structures or components.

2 lecture
1. What are materials? List eight commonly encountered engineering materials.
Some of the commonly encountered engineering materials are wood, concrete, bricks, steel, plastic,
glass, rubber, and aluminium.
2. Define materials science and materials engineering.
Materials Science is focused on acquiring knowledge about materials, while Materials Engineering
applies that knowledge to create useful products.
3. What are the main classes of engineering materials?
Metals, polymers, and ceramics.
4. Define composite materials. Give an example of a composite material.
Composite materials, like carbon fibre, blend various substances to form new, superior properties.
Carbon fibre, for instance, combines carbon fibres with epoxy resin, yielding a lightweight and robust
material widely employed in aerospace, automotive, and sports industries.
5. List some materials usage changes which you have observed over a period of time
in some manufactured products. What reasons can you give for the changes that have
occurred?
Materials usage changes due to factors like resource scarcity, manufacturing costs, new material
development, sustainability demands, and material competition. These factors drive shifts in
manufacturing choices.
6. What factors might cause materials usage to be incorrect?
Factors contributing to incorrect materials usage in products include: limited material understanding,
cost-driven choices, material availability issues, inadequate testing, outdated awareness, inefficient
processes, and neglecting environmental impact concerns.

3 lecture
1. Briefly describe the following types of primary bonding, ionic, covalent, and metallic.
Ionic bonding involves electron transfer between metals and nonmetals, leading to cations and
anions. Covalent bonding shares electrons between similar atoms. Metallic bonding shares valence
electrons among many atoms, allowing flexibility.
2. Why does bonding between atoms occur?
Chemical bonds form as atoms reduce potential energy, achieving greater stability. Various bonds,
including ionic, covalent, metallic, and dipole bonds, arise based on electron interactions.
3. Define a crystalline solid.
Crystalline solids have atoms in a regular pattern, exhibit anisotropy, and melt at specific
temperatures. Examples include metals, semiconductors, ceramics, and some polymers.
4. Define a space lattice.
A space lattice is a regularly repeating atomic arrangement in a crystalline material, with long-range
order, determining size, shape, and atomic arrangement. The unit cell encapsulates these features.
5. What are the three most common metal crystal structures? List five metals which
have each of these crystal structures.
Common metal crystal structures include bcc (alpha iron, tungsten, etc.), fcc (aluminium, gold, etc.),
and hcp (beryllium, cobalt, etc.).
6. What is a metal alloy? What is a solid solution?
A metal alloy is a mixture of metals or a metal and a nonmetal, forming a solid solution where atoms
are dispersed in a single-phase structure. Solid solutions can be either substitutional, where atoms
are similar in size, or interstitial, where smaller atoms fit between larger ones.
7. Distinguish between a substitutional solid solution and an interstitial solid solution.
Substitutional solid solutions involve atoms of similar size, while interstitial solid solutions feature
smaller solute atoms between larger solvent atoms, determined by atomic size compatibility.
 4 lecture
1. Describe the slip mechanism which enables a material to be plastically deformed without
fracture.
The slip mechanism lets a material undergo plastic deformation without fracturing by enabling atoms
or dislocations to move along crystal planes when stress is applied.
2. What are the main four types of materials?
Composites and wood, polymers and ceramics, chemical properties, and physical properties.
3. Define chemical, physical, mechanical and manufacturing properties of a material.
Chemical properties refer to reactivity (e.g., corrosion), physical properties encompass observables
(e.g., density), mechanical properties involve resistance (e.g., toughness), and manufacturing
properties gauge suitability for processes (e.g., castability).
4. How properties of engineering materials are related with the internal structure?
A material's properties depend on its internal structure. For metals, crystalline arrangements
determine strength and conductivity, while polymers and ceramics have unique structures affecting
their properties. Engineers can control properties through processes like alloying and polymerization.
5. How are mechanical properties characterised in general?
Material mechanical properties are responses to external forces, affecting load-bearing, deformation,
and fracture. Engineers use this to predict component strength, while scientists employ it for
materials design.
6. What is the difference between elastic and plastic deformation?
Elastic deformation is reversible, causing a material to regain its shape after stress is removed,
common in metals and ceramics. Plastic deformation is irreversible, found in polymers, retaining its
deformed shape.

5 lecture
1. Which element is most abundant in the earth’s crust?
The most abundant metallic element in the earth's crust is aluminium (Al). It makes up about 8% of
the earth's crust.
2. Which element is the lightest structural metal?
Magnesium is the lightest structural metal, around 30% lighter than aluminium, and is commonly used
in automotive and aircraft industries for its lightweight characteristics.
3. Which properties are common to all non-ferrous metals?
Non-ferrous metals share key traits: corrosion resistance, high thermal/electrical conductivity, low
density for weight reduction, and ease of fabrication through multiple processes.
4. What is the most common copper ore?
The most common copper ore is sulphide ores.
5. By what process is the highest purity of chemical elements achieved?
Electrolysis is key for achieving utmost chemical element purity. By applying an electric current
through a compound, it deposits the element at the cathode, a common method in metal production.

6 lecture
1. When were the first iron-based tools made?
Around 1200 BCE, the Iron Age began, replacing widespread bronze tool usage with stronger and
more available iron. The timing of this transition varied by region.
2. What minerals make up the earth's crust?
The Earth's crust comprises minerals, including Fe, O, Si, Mg, S, Ni, Ca, and Al, along with trace
elements.
3. How are chemical elements classified according to their abundance and atomic number?
Chemical elements are classified based on abundance and atomic number in various categories:
rock-forming, rare earth, precious, major industrial, and rarest metals.
4. What is the stripping ratio?
Stripping ratio: waste rock to ore. Influenced by ore body, mining method, rock composition & stability.
5. Why should ores be prepared before using them in a blast furnace?
This involves crushing, grinding, and removing impurities to create an efficient feed.
6. What are the main steps of iron ore preparation?
To prepare iron ore for a blast furnace: crush and mill, separate (concentration), sinter with flux and
fuel, smelt, and refine to adjust composition and remove impurities.
 7 lecture
1. What are the main charge materials used in the iron ore reduction process?
In iron ore reduction, key materials include iron ore (mined for its metal content), limestone (for
impurity removal), and coke (a carbon reducing agent).
2. What are the functions of coke in a blast furnace?
Coke serves in ironmaking by providing intense heat for reactions and producing carbon monoxide,
vital for iron oxide reduction to iron.
3. How are impurities in liquid metal collected?
Impurities are removed from liquid metal by reacting with calcium oxide, creating a liquid slag that
separates from the molten iron, enabling impurity removal.
4. What is the basic condition for burning coke?
Burning coke in a blast furnace necessitates preheated air or hot blast. The hot blast ignites the coke,
producing heat and enabling its reaction.
5. What is a product of iron ore reduction?
One of the products of the iron ore reduction process is iron (Fe).

8 lecture
1. What does the term bulk steel mean?
Unprocessed metal from the BOS furnace, sold in large quantities without customer-specific
specifications.
2. How many tons of steel can be produced in the BOS process in one hour?
Modern furnaces will take a charge of up to 350t and convert it into steel in less than 40 minutes.
3. What are the similarities and differences between the BOS and EAF steel making
processes?
Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) and Electric Arc Furnace Steelmaking (EAF) are two primary
methods in steel production. They both create steel via melting raw materials in batch processes, but
differ in equipment, materials used, and production capabilities. BOS is dominant globally, while EAF
serves specialised steel needs.
4. Why is scrap steel used in the BOS process?
Scrap steel in Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) cools and regulates furnace temperatures. It also
contributes to steel production through heat generated during carbon and silicon oxidation.
5. What is the approximate chemical composition of the steel produced in the BOS process?
Fe content?
BOS steelmaking refines high-carbon hot metal to meet customer specifications, usually reducing
carbon content from 4.5% to less than 0.1%. The exact composition varies according to customer
requirements.

9-10 lectures
1. What is the crystal structure of austenite upon heating?
The crystal structure of austenite when it is heated is face cubic centred (FCC).
2. What is the melting point of iron in degrees centigrade?
The melting point of iron is 1538 °C.
3. How much austenite does eutectic reaction form?
Austenite does not exist below 723°C and maximum carbon concentration at this temperature is
0.83%.
4. How much iron does cementite contain?
The iron content in cementite is 93.33%.
5. At what temperature does peritectic reaction occur?
The peritectic reaction occurs at a temperature of 1493°C.
6. What is the temperature of an eutectic reaction?
The eutectic reaction occurs at a temperature of 1147°C.