ME 221 : Structural Materials

Section 2
Problem Set 2

1. Such materials as silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) are used for grinding and polishing
applications. Determine the degree of ionicity, correlate the melting point with the degree of ionicity
and justify the choice for grinding and polishing.
2. Beryllium and magnesium, both in the 2A column of the periodic table, are lightweight metals.
Which would you expect to have the higher modulus of elasticity? Explain, considering binding
energy and atomic radii and using appropriate sketches of force versus interatomic spacing.
3. Aluminum and silicon are side-by-side in the periodic table. Which would you expect to have the
higher modulus of elasticity (E)? Explain.
4. Boron has a much lower coefficient of thermal expansion than aluminum, even though both are in
the 3B column of the periodic table. Explain, based on binding energy, atomic size, and the energy
well, why this difference is expected.
5. Determine the crystal structure for the following:
(a) a metal with a0 = 4.9489 Angstroms , r = 1.75 Angstroms , and one atom per lattice point; and
(b) a metal with a0 = 0:42906 nm, r = 0:1858 nm, and one atom per lattice point.
6. Aluminum foil used to package food is approximately 0.001 inch (0.0254mm) thick. Assume that all
of the unit cells of the aluminum are arranged so that side a is perpendicular to the foil surface. For
a 100mm x 100mm square of the foil, determine
(a) the total number of unit cells in the foil; and
(b) the thickness of the foil in number of unit cells.
7. Sketch the following planes and directions within a cubic unit cell:
(a) [101] (b) [010] (c) [122] (d) [301] (e) [201_ (f ) [213] (g) (011) (h) (102)
(i) (002) (j) (130) (k) (212) (l) (312)
8. Determine the Miller indices for the directions in the figure below :

9. Determine the planar density and packing fraction for BCC lithium in the (100), (110), and (111) planes.
Which, if any, of these planes is close packed?

10. Examine if Silica (SiO2) is ionically or covalently bonded.