Sophomore Mechanical

Engineering Program
Structure and Properties of
Materials [MDP 151]
3- Structure of Crystalline Solids
Prof. Adel B. El-Shabasy
Recall: Classification of Materials
based on the Structure

• Metals and alloys;

Crystalline
• Some ceramics;
Materials • Few Polymers

• Glasses (ceramics);
Amorphous • Most polymers
Materials • Metallic glass

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 Metallic Solids
• Most metals form close packed crystals because the
metallic bond has few restrictions.
• In metallic bonding:
 There are no charge requirements (Each atom
does not have to have nearest neighbors of
opposite charge);
 There are no directional requirements,
 There are long range effects (The outermost
electron levels combine to form levels that extend
throughout the whole solid).
 Bulk Metallic Glass (Metals & alloys have no
repeated pattern of crystalline structure.
 Bulk Metallic Glass can be obtained using high
rate of cooling during casting processing (spinning
process).

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 Metallic Solids
Metallic solids occur when large numbers of atoms bond
together in close-packed structures
They can be modelled as ping-pong balls glued together

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 Crystal Structure
How do atoms assemble into solid structures?

It is the manner in
which atoms, (ions, or
molecules) are
spatially arranged
or
The periodic
arrangement of atoms
in the specific shape

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Description of Crystal Structures
The most common manner to describe the
crystal structure, is to refer to the size and
shape of the unit cell and the positions of
the atoms (or ions) within the cell.

Consideration of several unit cells, the

arrangement of the atoms with respect to
each other, the number of other atoms
they in contact with, and the distances to
neighboring atoms, often will provide a
better understanding.

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 Definitions (Very Important)
• Lattice: Infinite 3-D arrangement of
points coinciding with atom positons
(or sphere centers);
A collection of points that divide the
space into smaller equally sized
segments;
 Lattice Points: Points that make
up lattice. Each point has identical
surroundings to all others.
Unit Cell: A subdivision of the
lattice that till contains all the
elements of symmetry of the crystal

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 Lattice Parameters
The lattice parameters describe the size and shape of the unit cell

Lattice parameters or constants ≡ Vectors and angles of the lattice

• 3 lattice vectors: a, b, c with common origin ⇒ Directions of the 3
independent axes
• 3 lattice angles: α, β, γ

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Characteristics of the crystal systems
7 systems

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The 14
types of
Bravais
lattices
grouped
in SEVEN
crystal
systems

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Classification of Metallic Structure
How can we stack crystalline materials’ atoms to
minimize empty space?

Open Structure
A square packed array
The coordination # of each atom is 4

Closed Structure
The more densely packed close
packed array
The coordination # of each atom is 6
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 Close Packing
The concept of close packing requires that the
atoms (ions) are arranged so as to have the
maximum density;

The most efficient way for equal sized spheres

to be packed in two dimensions, in which it can
be seen that each sphere (the black sphere) is
surrounded by, and is in contact with, six other
spheres (the gray spheres)

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 Close Packed Structures
If two close packed layers A and B are
placed in contact with each other so as to
maximize the density, then the spheres of
layer B will rest in the hollow (vacancy)
between three of the spheres in layer A;
Atoms in the second layer, B (dark gray),
may occupy one of two possible positions (a,
b) but not both together or a mixture of
each.

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 Close Packed
Structures

Hexagonal close
Cubic close packed
packed

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 In Metallic Crystal Structure
Be aware of the following:
• Actual Number of Atoms
 Number of atoms associated with each unit cell,
 Some fractions of the atoms which assigned to a specific cell,
 Atoms completely within the interior belongs to that unit cell.
• Coordination Number
 Numbers of nearest neighbor or touching atoms in a unit cell.
• Atomic Packing Factors (APF)
Sum of sphere volumes of all atoms divided by the unit cell volume.

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Cubic Crystal System

1- Simple Cubic (SC)

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SC features

a= 𝟐𝒓
Unit cell contains =
𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔
8x𝟏Τ𝟖 = 𝟏
𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍

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The arrangement of atoms in a simple cubic unit cell

Each atom in the lattice has six nearest

neighbors (in touch, CN=6)
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 Cubic Crystal System

2- Body-Centered Cubic (BCC)

Cr, W, Fe (), V, Nb, Na, Mo, K
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BCC Features
Diagonal of the cube = 4r = 𝐚 𝟑
𝟒𝒓
a=
𝟑
Unit cell contains =
𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔
Τ
8x𝟏 𝟖 + 𝟏 = 𝟐
𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍

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 Cubic Crystal System

3- Face-Centered Cubic (FCC)

(g) Fe, Al, Ni, Ag, Cu, Au, Pb
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FCC Features
Diagonal of the face = 4r = 𝐚 𝟐
𝟒𝒓
a=
𝟐

Unit cell contains =

𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒔
8x𝟏Τ𝟖 + 𝟔𝐱 𝟏Τ𝟐 = 𝟒
𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒆𝒍𝒍

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Hexagonal Crystal System

Ti,
Zn,
Mg,
Co,
Be,
Zr

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Hexagonal Crystal System

3D Projection 2D Projection

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 Atomic Packing Factor
• APF for a simple cubic structure = 0.52

• APF for a BCC cubic structure = 0.68

• APF for a FCC cubic structure = 0.74

• APF for a HCP Hexagonal str. = 0.74

 ALLOTROPY (POLYMORPHISM)
• Some metals, as well as nonmetals, may have different
crystal structure at certain temperatures
• Iron (Fe) () Fe (BCC) : RT: 912,
(g) Fe (FCC) : 912-1401
(d) Fe (BCC) : 1401-1538
• Carbon (C) Graphite @ ambient conditions,
diamond @ very high pressures
• Tin White (b) Tin (BCC) @ RT,
Gray () Tin (diamond cube) @
13.2oC
Computations
Density Theoretical

Experimental
(Bulk)-Lab
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Metallic Crystal Structures
• Tend to be densely packed;
• Reasons for dense packing
 Typically, only one element is present, so all atomic radii are
the same
 Metallic bonding is not directional
 Nearest neighbor distances tend to be small in order to lower
bond energy.
 The “electron cloud” shields cores from each other
• They have the simplest crystal structures

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Example
Copper has an atomic weight of 63.5 g/mol. Compute its density and compare the
answer with its measured density [8.94 g/cm3].

=nA/Vc.Na where n is the no of atoms in unit cell, A is the atomic wt (g/mole), Vs is

the cell volume and Na is the Avogadro no (atom/mole).
Recall that Cu is Fss with n=4 and a =4r/sqrt(2)
r=0.1278 nm
A=63.5 g/mole
Rho=8.9 g/cm3

In your text book, you are asked to study

well, the following:
Chapter 3 page 44 to 52
Assignment 2 31 31
 Review Questions
1-Compare between Crystalline & Amorphous Materials?

2- Explain the meaning of Metallic Glass ?

3- Hot forming of steel needs less force than cold forming, why?

4- Compare between Ferrite steel & Austenite steel?

5- Sometime the actual density of metals is not equal the

theoretical one. Give reasons?

6- Explain the meaning of Allotropy, & give examples?

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