ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151
Fundamentals of Materials
Engineering
Tutorial 1
Atomic structure and bonding
Crystal structures and defects
Diffusion
 ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

1.

2.
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

3.
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

4. A copper-zinc alloy has the following properties

Grain diameter (mm) Strength (MPa)
0.015 170
0.025 158
0.035 151
0.050 145

Determine:
(a) The constants in the Hall-Petch equation; and
(b) The grain size required to obtain a strength of 200 MPa
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

5. A 0.05cm layer of magnesium oxide (MgO) is deposited between layers

of nickel (Ni) and tantalum (Ta) to provide a diffusion barrier that
prevents reactions between the two metals (Figure). At 1400oC, nickel
ions are created and diffuse through the MgO ceramic to the tantalum.
Determine the number of nickel ions that pass through the MgO per
second. The diffusion coefficient of nickel ions in MgO is 9x1012 cm2/s,
and the lattice parameter of nickel at 1400oC is 3.6x10-8cm.
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

Solutions to Tutorial 1
 ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

1.

Higher thermal expansion??? Iron or copper

Higher melting point??? Iron or copper Fe: 1538ºC Cu:1084.62ºC
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

Note: here the average interatomic separation refers to the equilibrium spacing between atoms
in the lecture notes. Nov 2004, Q2 (6 marks)
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

2.

FCC BCC
Close-packed Non close-packed
APF = 0.74 APF = 0.68
CN = 12 CN = 8
4 atoms per FCC unit cell 2 atoms per BCC unit cell
aFCC = 0.3591 aBCC = 0.2863
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

2Vol BCC  Vol FCC

% Volume change from FCC to BCC = x100%
Vol FCC
2(0.2863)3  (0.3591)3
= 3
x100%
(0.3591)
= 1.36%
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

3.
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

Plane B: Origin at 0,0,0

Intercepts: x = -1/3 ; y = 1/4 ; z = 
Reciprocals: = -3; = 4; =0

Miller index = 340 
Alternatively,

There are two ways to determine the intercept of plane B with x-axis. The first one needs
some calculation based on similar triangles (you can view this from the z-axis). However, for
this particular question, shift origin is much more simple and convenience way to determine
the intercepts with the x- and y-axis.
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

If you cannot visualize why the

intercept of plane C with x-axis is 2,
you try to view the xoz plane and
using the similar triangle analysis,
you will find the intercept with the x-
axis.
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

4. A copper-zinc alloy has the following properties

Grain diameter (mm) Strength (MPa)
0.015 170
0.025 158
0.035 151
0.050 145

Determine:
(a) The constants in the Hall-Petch equation; and
(b) The grain size required to obtain a strength of 200 MPa
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

Grain diameter (mm) Strength (MPa) d-1/2

0.015 170 8.165
0.025 158 6.325
0.035 151 5.345
0.050 145 4.472

The values of d-1/2 are calculated as shown in above table; one can then plot
the graph of strength versus d-1/2 as:
180
Strength (MPa)

170

160

150

140
4 5 6 7 8 9
-1/2
d
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

We can determine the constants K and 0 for Hall-Petch equation either

from the graph or by using two of the data points:
(a) 170 = 0 + K (8.165)
145 = 0 + K (4.472)
25 = 3.693 K
K = 6.77 MPa/mm and 0 = 114.7 MPa
(b) To obtain a strength of 200 MPa
200 = 114.7 + 6.77 d
85.3 = 6.77/d
d = 0.0063 m
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

5. A 0.05cm layer of magnesium oxide (MgO) is deposited between layers

of nickel (Ni) and tantalum (Ta) to provide a diffusion barrier that
prevents reactions between the two metals (Figure). At 1400oC, nickel
ions are created and diffuse through the MgO ceramic to the tantalum.
Determine the number of nickel ions that pass through the MgO per
second. The diffusion coefficient of nickel ions in MgO is 9x1012 cm2/s,
and the lattice parameter of nickel at 1400oC is 3.6x10-8cm.
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

Ni has FCC structure, hence 4 atoms in one unit cell, the composition of
nickel at the Ni/MgO interface is 100% Ni, or
4  Ni atoms / unit cell 
cNi / MgO   8.57  10 22
 atoms/cm 3

3.6 10 cm 
8 3

The composition of nickel at the Ta/MgO interface is 0% Ni. Thus, the

concentration gradient is:
c 0  8.57 1022 (atoms/cm3 )
  1.711024 (atoms/cm3 .cm)
x 0.05 cm
The flux of nickel atoms through the MgO layer is:
c
J  D    9 1012 cm 2 / s  1.711024 atoms/cm3 .cm 
x
J  1.54 1013  Ni atoms/cm 2 .s 
ME2151/ME 2151E/TME2151 Principles of Mechanical Engineering Materials

The total number of nickel atoms crossing the 2cm x 2cm interface per
second is:
Total Ni atoms per second=  J  Area   1.54 1013 atoms/cm2 .s   2 cm  2 cm 
 6.16 1013 (Ni atoms/s)

The volume of nickel atoms removed from the Ni/MgO interface per second
is:
6.16 1013  Ni atoms/s  9
 0.72  10 (cm 3
/s)
8.57 10  Ni atoms/cm 
22 3

Or, the thickness by which the nickel layer is reduced each second is:
0.72 109 (cm3 /s)
 1.8  10 10
 cm/s   1.8  10 6
  m/s 
4  cm 
2

For 1m nickel layer to be removed, the time is: 1/1.8 106   556,000 s=154 h