Material’s Science &

Technology

INTRODUCTION
Classification of Materials
 The broad scientific and technological segments of Materials Science are shown in
the diagram below.
 To gain a comprehensive understanding of materials science, all these aspects have
to be studied.
 Metals
Major characteristics of metallic materials are
crystallinity, conductivity to heat and electricity and
relatively high strength & toughness.
Classification: systematic arrangement or division of
materials into group on the basis of some common
characteristic
Generally classified as ferrous and nonferrous
Ferrous materials-iron as the base metal,
range from plain carbon (>98% Fe) to high
alloy steel (<50% alloying elements)
Nonferrous materials consist of the rest of the
metals and alloys
 Classification of Materials
(Metals)
Metals can be further classified as Ferrous &
Non-Ferrous, some examples include;

Ferrous Non-Ferrous

Steels Aluminium

Stainless Steels Copper

High Speed Steels Brass

Cast Irons Titanium

 Metals
Within each group of alloy, classification can be made
according
(a) chemical composition, e.g. carbon content or
alloys content in steels;
(b) finished method, e.g. hot rolled or cold rolled;
(c) product form, e.g. bar, plate, sheet, tubing,
structural shape;
(d) method of production, e.g. cast, wrought alloys.
 Metals
In most eng. application, selection of metallic is
usually based on the following considerations:
1) Product shape: a) sheet, strip, plate, (b) bar, rod,
wire, (c) tubes, (d) forging (e) casting
2) Mechanical properties-tensile, fatigue, hardness,
creep,impact test
3) Physical & chemical properties-specific gravity,
thermal & electrical conductivity, thermal expansion
4) Metallurgical consideration-anisotrophy of
properties, hardenability of steel, grain size &
consistency of properties
5) Processing castability-castability, formability,
machinability
6) Sales appeal-color, luster
7) Cost & availability
 Metals
Design and selection for metals
One of the major issues for structural components is
deflection under service load.
A function of the applied forces and geometry,
and also stiffness of material.
Stiffness of material is difficult to change, either
shape or the material has to be changed if order
to achieve a large change in the stiffness of a
component.
 Metals
Load carrying capacity of component can be related
to the yield strength, fatigue strength or creep
strength depending on loading & service condition.
All are structure sensitive.
Changed by changing chemical composition of
the alloy, method and condition of
manufacturing, as well as heat treatment
Increasing the strength cause metal ductility &
toughness to decrease which affects the
performance of component.
Manufacturing consideration
Majority of metallic components are wrought or cast
Wrought m/str:
usually stronger and more ductile than cast.
Available in many shapes & size tolerance
Hot worked products:
Difficult for automatic machining
Poor surface quality, esp. in sheet/wire drawing
Cold worked product:
Residual stress cause unpredictable size change during
machining
 Metals
Weldability – a function of material composition. So
structure involve welding of the components need
to consider. Also for other joining means.
Machinability:
Important if large amounts of material have to be
removed
improvement by heat treatment or alloying
elements
Economic aspects:
material able to perform function at lowest cost
Classification of Materials (Ceramics)

Ceramics are compounds of metallic and non-

metallic elements, examples include;

• Oxides (alumina – insulation and abrasives,

zirconia – dies for metal extrusion and
abrasives)
• Carbides (tungsten-carbide tools)
• Nitrides (cubic boron nitride, 2nd in hardness to
diamond)
 Ceramics
Classification of Ceramic Materials
Ceramics – inorganic compounds of one or more metals
with a nonmetallic element. Eg Al2O3, SiC, Si2N3.
Crystal structure of ceramic are complex
They accommodate more than one element of
widely different atomic size.
usually heat & electrical insulators.
Strong atomic bonds give high hardness, stiffness &
stability (thermal & hostile env.).
 Ceramics
Structure:
– (1) Amorphous or glass-short range order, (2)
crystalline (long range order) & (3) crystalline
material bonded by glassy matrix.
Characteristics:
Hard & brittleness,
low mechanical & thermal shock
High melting points
Thermal conductivities between metal &
polymer
Design consideration for ceramics
Britle, low mechanical & thermal shock-need special consideration
Ratio between tensile strength, modulus of rupture & compressive
strength ~ 1:2:10. In design, load ceramic parts in compression &
avoid tensile loading
Sensitive to stress concentration
Avoid stress raiser during design.
Dimensional change take place during drying and firing, should be
consider
Large flat surface can cause wrapping
Large changes in thickness of product can lead to nonuniform
drying and cracking.
Dimensional tolerances should be generous to avoid machining
 Classification of Materials
(Plastics/Polymers)
Plastics can be further classified as;
•Thermoplastic
•Thermoset
•Elastomers

Thermoplastics Thermosets Elastomers

Acrylics Epoxy resins Rubbers
Nylons Phenolic Silicones
PVC Polyesters Polyurethanes
Polyethylene
 Polymers
Polymer – low density, good thermal & electrical
insulation, high resistance to most chemicals and
ability to take colours and opacities.
But unreinforced bulk polymer are mechanically
weaker, lower elastic moduli & high thermal
expansion coefficients.
Improvement Reinforced variety of fibrous
materials Composites (PMC).
 Polymers
Advantages : ease of manufacturing & versatility.
Can manufacture into complicated shapes in one step
with little need for further processing or surface
treatment.
Versatility : ability to produce accurate component,
with excellent surface finish and attractive color, at
low cost and high speed
Application: automotive, electrical & electronic products,
household appliance, toys, container, packaging, textiles
Basic manufacturing processes for polymer parts are
extrusion, molding, casting and forming of sheet.
Thermoset & thermoplastic
Differ in the degree of their inter-molecular bonding
Thermoplastic-litle cross bonding between polymer,
soften when heated & harden when cooled
Thermoset-strong intermolecular bonding which
prevents fully cured materials from softening when
heated
Rubber are similar to plastic in structure and the
difference is largely based on the degree of
extensibility or stretching.
 Classification of Materials
(Composites)

A composite is a combination of two or more

chemically distinct materials whose physical
characteristics are superior to its constituents acting
independently.
Because of their high strength/stiffness to weight ratio
they are widely used in the;
• Aerospace industry
• Offshore structures
• Boats
• Sporting goods
 Classification of Materials
(Composites)

Examples of composites include;

• Reinforced Plastics
• Ceramic-matrix
• Metal-Matrix
• Laminates
 Composites
Introduction
A composite material can be broadly defined as an
assembly two or more chemically distinct material,
having distinct interface between them and acting to
produce desired set of properties
Composites – MMC, PMC & CMC.
The composite constituent divided into two
Matrix
Structural constituent / reinforcement
 Composites
Properties / behavior depends on properties, size &
distribution, volume fraction & shape of the
constituents, & the nature and strength of bond
between constituents.
Mostly developed to improve mechanical properties
i.e strength, stiffness, creep resistance & toughness.
Three type of composite
(1) Dispersion-strengthened,
(2) Reinforcement – continuous & discontinuous
(3) Laminated (consist more than 2 layers bonded
together).
Designing with composite
A composite materials usually are more expensive on a cost.
Used when weight saving is possible when the relevant specific
property (property/density) of the composite is better than
conventional material
E.g. specific strength (strength/density), specific elastic
modulus ( elastic modulus/density)
Efficient use of composite can be achieved by tailoring the
material for the application
E.g., to achieve max. strength in one direction in a fibrous
composite, the fibers should be well aligned in that
direction
 If composite is subjected to tensile loading, important
design criterion is the tensile strength in the loading
direction
Under compression loading, failure by buckling become
important
Fatigue behavior:
Steel- show an endurance limit or a stress below which
fatigue does not occur
Composite-fatigue at low stress level because fibrous
composites may have many crack, which can be growing
simultaneously and propagate through the matrix
 Classification of Materials (Wood)
• Wood can be further categorised as;
• Hardwood
• Softwood
• Manufactured board
Hardwood Softwood Manufactured
Board
Oak Pine Plywood
Ash Cedar Blockboard
Beech Fir MDF
Sycamore Spruce Melamine
board
 References
1. Anandh Subramaniam & Kantesh Balani,Materials Science and Engineering (MSE),Indian
Institute of Technology, Kanpur
2. An Brief Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering, Elaine D. Haberer, UCSB.

3. Engineering materials, Dr. Zuhailawati Hussain