Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction
Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction
and Engineering
An Introduction
Learning Objectives:
1. List six different property classifications of materials that determine
their applicability.
2. Cite the four components that are involved in the design,
production, and utilization of materials, and briefly describe the
interrelationships between these components.
3. Cite three criteria that are important in the materials selection
process.
4. List the three primary classifications of solid materials, and then
cite the distinctive feature of each.
5. Note the two types of advanced materials and, for each, its
distinctive feature(s).
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Early civilizations have been designated by the level of
their materials development
Stone Age - 2.5 million BC
Bronze Age - 3500 BC
Iron Age - 1000 BC
The earliest humans had access to only a very limited
number of materials, those that occur naturally: stone,
wood, clay, skins
Producing materials that had properties superior to those
of the natural ones; these new materials included pottery
and various metals
Properties
1. Mechanical properties relate deformation to an applied load or
force; examples include elastic modulus and strength.
2. For electrical properties, such as electrical conductivity and
dielectric constant, the stimulus is an electric field.
3. The thermal behavior of solids can be represented in terms of heat
capacity and thermal conductivity.
4. Magnetic properties demonstrate the response of a material to
the application of a magnetic field.
5. For optical properties, the stimulus is electromagnetic or light
radiation; index of refraction and reflectivity are representative
optical properties.
6. Deteriorative characteristics relate to the chemical reactivity of
materials.
The four components of the discipline of
materials science and engineering and their
interrelationship.
Photograph of three thin disk specimens of aluminum oxide, which have been placed
over a printed page in order to demonstrate their differences in light-transmittance
characteristics.
WHY STUDY MATERIALS
SCIENCE
AND ENGINEERING?
YOU will be exposed to a design problem involving
materials
transmission gear
superstructure for a building
oil refinery component
integrated circuit chip
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING THE
RIGHT MATERIAL
1. The in-service conditions must be characterized, for
these will dictate the properties required of the
material
3. Economics = COST
CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS
A.
1. Metals
2. Ceramics
3. Polymers
B. COMPOSITES
C. ADVANCED MATERIALS
4. Semiconductor
5. Biomaterials
METALS
composed of one or more metallic elements
iron, aluminum, copper, titanium, gold, nickel
and often also nonmetallic elements in relatively small
amounts
(for example, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen)