ENGINEERING MATERIALS

AND THEIR PROPERTIES

B DA 2 0 4 0 2 E N G I NE E R I NG M AT E R I AL S S E L EC T I O N
S e m e ste r 2 S e s s i o n 2 0 1 9/ 2 02 0

Chapter Content:
3.1 Successful products
3.2 Classes of engineering materials
3.3 Definition of materials properties

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ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

3.1 Successful Products…

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ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

3.1 Successful Products…

Mada'in Saleh Pyramid Hagia Sophia

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ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

3.1 Successful Products…

Performs well

Good value for money

Gives pleasure to user

Uses the best materials for the job, and fully

exploits their potential and characteristics;
brings out their “flavour”
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ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

3.2 Classes of Engineering Materials…

Metals
• Materials conventionally can be
classified into six(6) broad classes
shown in the Figure (Ashby’s
Polymers Ceramics Classification)

Composites • The members of a class have features in

common such as similar properties,
processing routes and often similar
applications.

Elastomers Glasses

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ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

3.2 Classes of Engineering Materials…

Modern Classification – Traditional Classification

another school of thought 6/15
ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

3.2 Classes of Engineering Materials…

My own revised
traditional classification
of Materials.

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ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:
3.2 Classes of Engineering Materials…
METAL
• Relatively high moduli
• Can be strengthen via alloying & treatment
(heat & mechanical) but still ductile enough to
be deformed
• Prey to fatigue
• Relatively least resistant to corrosion
POLYMER & ELASTOMER
• Low moduli (50x less than metals) but can be
strong as metals
• Large elastic deflections
• Creep at room temperature
• Easy to shape (simple – complex shapes)
• Corrosion resistant
• Low coefficients of friction
CERAMIC & GLASS
• High moduli; brittle
• Low tolerance for stress concentrations (eg.
holes or cracks) or high contact stresses (eg.
clamping point)
• Stiff, hard and abrasion-resistant
• Retain strength to high temperatures
• Corrosion resistant.
COMPOSITE
• Combine attractive properties of other
material classes while avoiding drawbacks
• Light, stiff, strong, tough
• Presently polymer matrix (epoxy or polyester)
with fiber reinforcements (glass/carbon/Kevlar)
• Application temperature limit of 250 °C due to
matrix (polymers) softening.
• Relatively expensive and difficult to form & join
• Use when added performance justifies the
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added
 ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

Definition of materials properties

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 ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

Definition of materials properties

The stress-strain curve for a metal, showing the Stress-strain curves for a polymer, below, at
modulus, E, the 0.2% yield strength, σy, and the and above its glass transition temperature,
ultimate strength, σu Tg 10
 ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

Definition of materials properties

Stress-strain curves for a ceramic in tension and in The modulus-of-rupture (MOR) is the surface stress
compression. The compression strength σc is 10-15 at failure in bending. It is equal to, or slightly larger
times larger than tensile strength σt than the failure stress in tension 11/15
 ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

Definition of materials properties

Fracture toughness, Kc, measures the resistance to The loss coefficient η measures the fractional energy
the propagation of a crack. The failure strength of a dissipated in stress-strain cycle
brittle solid containing a crack of length 2c is 𝝈𝒇 =
𝒀𝑲𝒄 𝝅𝑪, where Y is a constant near unity 12
 ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

Definition of materials properties

The thermal conductivity (λ) measures the flux of The linear-thermal expansion coefficient (α)
heat driven by a temperature gradient dT/dX. measures the change in length, per unit length,
when the sample is heated
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 ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

Definition of materials properties

Creep is the slow deformation with time under Wear is the loss of material from surfaces when
load. It is characterized by the creep constants, they slide. The wear resistance is measured by the
𝜀𝑜 , 𝜎𝑜 , and 𝑄 Archard wear constant, 𝐾𝐴 .
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 ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND THEIR PROPERTIES:

Definition of materials properties

• There are 6 vital materials classes for

mechanical design – metals,
polymers, elastomers, ceramics,
glasses, and composites (Ashby’s
classification).
• Designers tend to escape from the
constraints of class, instead, think of
the material name as identifier for a
certain property-profile in finding a
• Corrosion is the surface reaction of the material with
gases or liquids – usually aqueous solutions. way of displaying properties to
• Sometimes it can be described by a simple rate equation. maximize the freedom of choice.
• However, usually the process is too complicated to allow
this. 15
 Further Readings:
• Michael F. Ashby (1999) Materials Selection in
Mechanical Design, 2nd Edition. Butterworth-
Heinemann, pp.20-31

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