Module 1

IMPORTANCE OF
ENGINEERING MATERIALS
 Why Material Science & Engineering is
important?
• Mechanical engineers search for high temp material so that gas
turbines, jet engines etc can operate more efficiently and wear
resistance materials to manufacture bearing materials
• Electrical engineers search for materials by which electrical devices or
machines can be operated at a faster rate with minimum power losses
• Aerospace & automobile engineers search for materials having high
strength-to weight ratio
• Electronic engineers search for material that are useful in the
fabrication & miniaturization of electronic devices
• Chemical engineers search for highly corrosion-resistant materials
Course Goals

• Materials are ENGINEERED Structures

• NOT Black Boxes
 Metals
• May be Pure or Compounds (Alloys)
– Along with Polymers The Most Common Everyday
Material
– Typically from the 1st Row of Transition Metals in
Periodic Table (Fe, Cu, Ni, etc.)
– Have LARGE Numbers of NonBound Electrons
• Makes them Good Electrical & Thermal
CONDUCTORS
– Strong but Deformable (Ductile)
Ceramics
• Some Typical Properties
– HARD & BRITTLE
– HIGHEST Temperature Resistance
• Thoria (Thorium Oxide) Max Temp  3000 K
– Llttle Temperature-SHOCK Resistance
– Corrosion Resistant
– Electrically Resistive (Insulative)
– Difficult to Join
• Do Not Weld
Polymers
• Some Typical Properties
– Very LightWeight
– Very Corrosion Resistant
• Best of ANY Class of Material
– Little, if any, Hi/Lo Temperature Resistance
– Little Structural Strength
– Very Deformable (ductile/flexible)
– Lowest $-Cost:Volume Ratio for Any
Class of Material
Semi-Conductors
• May be made CONDUCTIVE or INSULATIVE (or
Something in-between) by the Addition of
Miniscule Amounts of IMPURITIES
–Current Techniques Allow Precise Control over
the AMOUNT and LOCATION of the Impurities
• Semiconductors are Very Important Electronic
Device Materials
Semiconductors cont.
• Most SOLID STATE (no moving parts)
Electronic Devices are Semiconductors
• Major applications for Semi Transistors
– Voltage Amplifiers
– On/Off switches
• Additional Advantage: Semiconductor
Electronic Devices can be constructed at
Extremely SMALL Scales
• SILICON is the Most Widely Used
 Composites
• Materials that Consist of
More than One Material Type
– Goal is to Combine the Best
Features of Multiple Materials
• Some Examples
– FiberGlass = Glass (ceramic) + Polymer
• Strength + Flexibilty
– ReInforced Concrete = Steel + Concrete
• Tension-Strength + Compression-
Strength
BioMaterials
• Defined as Those Materials Which
Are compatible with Human Tissue
– Classic Example = Stainless Steels
used For Bone repair (Screws,
Staples, Plates, Hip-Joints)
• At least a few of ALL other
Classes of Materials are
BioCompatible
– Including Silicon
Smart Materials
• Smart Materials  Materials That can
Sense Changes in the Environment and
Respond with a Material Shape/Property
Change
– Example: "smart" materials that can be
attached to, or embedded in, structural
systems
• enable the structure to sense disturbances,
process the information and through
commands to actuators, to accomplish
some beneficial reaction
 Ceramics
• Basic Composition is the MINERAL Form of a Metal
– Very Few Metals Exist in
PURE Form in Nature
• Most That Do are Very Rare, e.g., Gold
• Ceramics are Compounds of Metals and
– Oxygen → Oxides (most Ceramics)
– Carbon → Carbides
– Nitrogen → Nitrides
Activity 1

Familiarization with different materials