Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Chapter 1:
Part 2 of
Custom Edition
(pg 399-415)

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© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Learning Objectives

1. What is materials science and engineering?

2. Classification of materials.
3. Functional classification of materials.
4. Classification of materials based on structure.
5. Environmental and other effects.
6. Materials design and selection.

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 What is Materials Science &
Engineering?
 Studies& manipulates composition &
structure of materials properties via
synthesis and processing.
– Composition refers to chemical make-up
– Structure refers arrangement of atoms
 Materialsscientists work with
development of materials and the
synthesis & processing of materials
and their manufacturing processes
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 Materials Science &
Engineering
 Synthesis refers to how materials are made from
naturally occurring or man made chemicals.
 Processing refers to how materials are shaped into
useful components to cause changes in the
properties of different materials.
 One function of materials scientist/engineer is to
establish the relationship between materials
properties and performance and the microstructure
of that material, it composition and the way the
material was synthesized and processed.
 So what is the distinguishing aspect between
materials science and materials engineering?

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 Materials Science & Materials
Engineering
 In materials science, the emphasis is on
relation between synthesis and processing,
structure and properties of materials.
 In materials engineering, the focus is on
how to tranform the materials into useful
structures or devices.
 So examining structure of material
important!
 Structure has influence on properties

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© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

What is Materials Science and Engineering?

Composition Chemical makeup of a material

Structure Description of the arrangement of atoms, as

seen at different levels of detail

Materials science Underlines the relationships between the

synthesis and processing, structure, and
properties of materials
Materials Focuses on how to translate or transform
engineering materials into useful devices or structures
Microstructure Structure of the material at the microscopic
scale

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Figure 1.1 - Application of the Tetrahedron of Materials

Science and Engineering to Sheet Steels for Automotive
Chassis

Composition

Strength

Weight

Energy absorption
properties

Malleability ( formability

Composition, microstructure &

synthesis processing are all
connected and affect
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So, a materials scientist would examine steel at a
microscopic level to determine if its properties
can be altered to meet all of the requirements
such as composition, strength, formability, cost
etc.

Will the shaping process affect the mechanical

properties of steel?

What coatings required to make steel corrosion

resistant?

In some cases we need to know if steel can be

welded readily.

These are issues to be considered in design and

materials selection. 1-8
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 Classification of Materials
 Metals & Alloys
 Ceramics & glasses

 Polymers ( plastics)

 Semiconductors

 Composite materials

Materials in the above groups vary in

structure & properties.Their strength
differences illustrate their difference in
properties from which engineers can select.

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Figure 1.3 - Representative strengths of various

categories of materials

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An important property of metals is that they can be extensively deformed
into shape without breaking. This extensive deformation allows metals to
be formed into products such as automobile bodies.

The bodies of most

automobiles are made
of low carbon steel
( i.e. iron < 0.2 weight
% carbon). Low carbon
steel can be rolled into
thin sheet and cold
stamped into shape.
This can increase the
strength of steel 10
fold and a safety
consideration in
design. Automobile
bodies are designed
with crumple zones
that crush in a
controlled manner to
absorb energy of a
collision

A crash test of sport utility vehicle showing how the steel in the front of
the car deforms without breaking to absorb the energy of the impact and
protects the passengers. 1 - 11
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 Cost Considerations
 Steel is also one of the cheapest metals available for
engineering use!
 Plain low carbon steel is ~ $5/kg and
 High strength alloy steel is $10/kg
 Aluminum alloys range from ~ 15/kg to 30$/kg for high
strength aluminum alloy.
 Titanium alloys are ~ $150/kg
 To increase auto mileage, Al I sreplacing steel in some auto
applications.
 Metals like Al & Fe are inherently weak and one of the merits
of materials science is to make these metals strong and
understand why strength changes…
 Iron and steel are extensively recycled; so is aluminum.

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 Metals & Alloys
 An important property of metals is that they can
be extensively deformed into shape without
breaking.
 The extensive deformation allows for metals to be
formed into products such as automobile bodies (
made of low carbon steel, which is iron with <
0.2 wt % carbon).
 Steel can deform on impact without breaking as
in an accident. Important design consideration in
automobiles.
 Steel is also one of the cheapest materials for
engineering use. Plain low carbon steel is $5/kg
and high strength alloy steel is $10/kg
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 Metals & Alloys
 Metals & alloys include steels, aluminum, magnesium,
zinc cast iron, titanium copper and nickel.
 An alloy is metal mixed with other elements. For
example, mixing copper with tin produces bronze which
is harder and stronger metal.
 Metals in general, have good electrical and thermal
conductivity. Valence electrons are detached from
atoms and spread in an electron sea that “glues” ions
together..
 Metals have high strength, stiffness, ductility formability
and shock resistance. Useful for load bearing
applications. Hence their mechanical properties are of
practical value.
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 Stress & Strain
 Stress refers to Load or force/unit area
 Strain refers to elongation or change in dimensions

 Application of stress causes strain; if strain goes

away- it is called “elastic”; if strain remains after
stress removed it is called “plastic”
– Slope of stress strain diagram is called Elastic or
Young’s modulus. The stress needed to initiate
plastic deformation is is known as “yield strength”.
– The maximum percent deformation that can be
achieved is a measure of the ductility of a material.

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Figure 1.2 - Application of the Tetrahedron of Materials

Science and Engineering to Semiconducting Polymers
for Microelectronics

Relation between structure

of polymer & electrical
properties

How can devices be made

using these plastics?

How robust are these

devices?

Performance & cost

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 Ceramics
 Original reference to pottery
 Inorganic crystalline materials. Example- beach sand,
rocks- natural ceramics. Essentially inorganic non-
metallic materials with a covalent or a combination of
covalent and ionic bonding.
 Most frequently used ceramic for engineering applications
is alumina.
 Important properties of ceramics are their high melting
points. Example, alumina melts at 20450C
 Atoms behave as either positive or negative ions bound
by coulomb forces. Usually combinations of metals or
semiconductors with oxygen, nitrogen or carbon ( oxides,
nitrides or carbides)Hard, brittle, insulators. Ex. Glass,
porcelain. 1 - 17
© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
 An automobile gasoline engine spark plug. The white
material is alumina ceramic. The threaded section is steel

.
Modern application of ceramics result from their high melting
temperature and electrical insulating properties. Due to their porosity-
small holes, ceramics do not conduct heat well. They must be heated
to high temperatures before melting.
Ceramics are strong and hard, but also brittle ( weak in tension). This
is a negative mechanical property .
A brittle material is one that fractures with no permanent deformation.
Glass, ceramic pottery and plates are all brittle at room temperature.
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 Ceramics…
Brittle nature of ceramics limits their application.
For example, designers of high temperature gas turbines, want
to have the turbine temperature as high as possible for
maximum efficiency. So, because of their high melting
temperatures, ceramics are possible materials for a turbine
blade.
However, turbine blades are made with metal alloys
primarily based on nickel, which melts at about 1450 0C.
Reason why nickel alloys are used instead of ceramics is that
ceramic turbine blades would break in a brittle manner like
glass and cause failure of engine!
If ceramics are slowly cooled from the liquid state to the solid
state, they are crystalline. In a crystalline material the atoms
repeat in a regular arrangement.
In an amorphous material, atoms not regularly arranged. Glass
is an example of a metastable material that changes to crystal
over time in a process called devitrification. Glass is the only
ceramic that is extensively recycled. 1 - 19
© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Table 1.1 - Representative Examples, Applications, and

Properties for Each Category of Materials

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Polymers

Polymers are organic materials. Examples: rubbers and adhesives

Not suitable for high temperatures.
Polymerization Process by which polymers are produced

Strength-to-weight Is high for polymers

ratio
Thermoplastic Contain long polymer chains that are not
polymers rigidly connected, have good ductility and
formability
Thermosetting Strong polymers but more brittle because the
polymers molecular chains are tightly linked
Plastics Contain additives that enhance the properties
of polymers
Composites Formed from two or more materials, producing
properties not found in any single material

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 Polymers
 Polymers- repeating units covalently bonded to one
another; so bound by covalent forces and also by weak
van der Waals forces usually based on C and H.
 In polyethylene,“ mer” unit is ethylene. Organic polymers
are based on carbon, and inorganic polymers such as
silicones are based on other elements. Decompose at
moderat temperatures ( 100-4000C.
 Room temperature polymers have fewer “mer” units
compared to solid polymers with higher “mer” units.
 Polymers can be natural or man made. Latex is a natural
polymer from rubber tree and wood is made frpm
polymers lignin and cellulose. we are made of DNA!
Polymer of nucleotides….
 PE ( polyethylene ) is most widely used synthetic polymer.
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 Polymers
 Important properties are their low density ( 1 x
103kg/m3), and their high resistance to corrosion.
 Because of their low density, polymers replace
metals and glass in many applications.
 Plastics have 1/7th the density of steel
 Automobile bumpers were made of steel – now
made of steel beam covered with plastic.
 Plastics comprise 14-18% of an automobile with
an internal combustion engine.

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© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Thermoplastics- not rigidly connected, good ductility

Thermosetting polymers- stronger but more brittle because
molecular chains are tightly linked.
Plastics contain additives that can enhance polymer properties
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 Semiconductors
 A small group of elements and compounds has an
important electrical property ”semiconduction” in which
they are neither good electrical conductors or good
insulators. They are intermediate in conducting
electricity.
 They do not fit into any of the materials class based on
atomic bonding. Actually, bonding may be described as
covalent and electrical properties depend on minute
proportions of contaminants eg, si, Ge, GaAs
 Silicon, germanium and tin serve as a boundary
between metallic and non metallic elements.
 The electrical conductivity of semiconducting materials is
between that of ceramic insulators and metallic
conductors.
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 Composite materials
 Blending properties of different materials; so producing
properties not found in a single material. Composite materials are
made up of atkleast two separate materials but the separate
materials maintain their identity within the combined material.
 Concrete, plywood, fibreglass are examples of composite
materials.
 Fibreglass is made by dispersing glass fibres in a polymer matrix.
Matrix means material is continuous. In fiberglass, the glass
fibres remain as glass fibers that are embedded in a matrix of
epoxy. The glass fibres make the polymer stiffer, without
significantly increasing its density.
 Wood is natural composite of cellulose fibres and matrix of lignin
resin.
 Sports equipment like bicycles, golf clubs and rackets use
composite materials that are light and stiff.

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 Composite Materials

All buildings, bridges

& highways made
from concrete use
steel reinforcing rods
to resist fracture. In
an earth quake, a
structure made of
only concrete is likely
to fracture. But
concrete reinforced
with steel rods can be
resist earth quakes..

Steel reinforcing bars protruding from a continuous concrete matrix. So, concrete
will be poured around these reinforcing bars to produce a steel reinforced concrete
column that will support a metro rail line. In many composite materials, the main
function of the matrix is to hold a strong material into the shape of the part. In
fiberglass, the glass fibres are the strong reinforcing phase. 1 - 27
© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Classification of Materials Based

on Structure

Crystalline The material’s atoms are arranged in a periodic

fashion
Amorphous The arrangement of the material’s atoms does not
have a long-range order
Single crystals Crystalline materials in the form of one crystal

Polycrystalline Crystalline materials with many crystals or grains

Grain boundaries Regions between individual crystals in a

polycrystalline material

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Figure 1.6 - Functional Classification of Materials

Text, pg 407-
408,
Ch 1 Part II

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Figure 1.7 - Increasing Temperature Normally

Reduces the Strength of a Material

Increasing temperature
reduces the strength of a
material

Polymers are suitable only

at low temperatures

Composites, such as carbon-

carbon composites, special
alloys, and ceramics have
excellent properties at high
temperatures.

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Figure 1.8 - Skin Operating Temperatures for Aircraft

Have Increased With the Development of Improved
Materials

Pg 410 Text
Ch 1- Part 2

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Environmental and Other Effects

 Corrosion
 Metals and polymers react with oxygen or
other gases, particularly at elevated
temperatures.
 Metals and ceramics — Disintegrate.
 Polymers and non-oxide ceramics —
Oxidize.
 Materials are attacked by corrosive liquids
which leads to premature failure.

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Environmental and Other Effects

 Fatigue
 Components must be designed such that the load
on the material may not be enough to cause
permanent deformation.
 Fatigue failure: When the material is loaded and
unloaded thousands of times small cracks may
begin to develop and materials fail as these
cracks grow.

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© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Materials Design and Selection

 The material must:

 Acquire the desired physical and mechanical properties.
 Be capable of being processed or manufactured into the
desired shape.
 Provide an economical solution to the design problem.
 Material cost is calculated on a cost-per-kilogram basis.
 Density of the material or its weight per unit volume
should be considered.

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Table 1.2 - Strength-to-Weight Ratios of Various Materials

Pg 412, Text

Density of material ( wt/volume) must be considered in

design/selection. Aluminum may cost more than steel on
a weight basis, but it is only 1/3rd the density of steel
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© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1: Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering

Key Terms

 Mechanical properties
 Materials engineering
 Microstructure
 Materials science and engineering tetrahedron
 Polymerization
 Plastics
 Polycrystalline
 Physical properties
 Processing

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 Enabling Properties of materials
 Steel for I- beams in sky scrapers
– Steel for I-beams must be strong in order
to bear large mechanical loads

 Cobalt
chrome molybdenum alloy for hip
implants
– Co-Cr-Mo alloy for hip implants must be
biocompatible, meaning it must not degrade
when inserted into body, or be toxic

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 I-beam- A structural support material

A structural support
material used in civil
engineering & construction.
They are made up of a
long vertical piece of metal
called “web”and shorter
horizontal pieces called
“flanges”.. They get their
name from their distinctive
shape. Pieces fit together
and their cross section
looks like the letter “I”. Steel I-beams are the most prevalent
type but you also have beams made of
materials such as aluminum or wood.
Steel for I-beams in skyscrapers must be
strong to bear large mechanical load.
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 Properties of materials
 What is the enabling material property of
aluminum used in body of airplane ?
 Aluminum has a high strength to weight ratio..
So it has strength to withstand forces imposed on
airframe, but keeps weight of plane low.
 Lighter the body , less force required to lift
plane into air. This means less fuel used and
reduction in operating cost.
 Aluminum also has good corrosion
resistance.

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 Properties of materials
 What is the enabling material property of
glass in wine bottles?
 Glass has a high chemical resistance... So it
can be used to preserve the wine taste.
 What is the enabling material property of
polyethylene terephthalate for water bottles?
 Polyethylene terephthalate is easily formed via a
blow molding process and is recyclable; these are
critical for mass production of water bottles.

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 Properties of materials
 What is the enabling material property of
polycarbonate for eyeglass lenses?
 Polycarbonate for eyeglass lenses must be
transparent and impact resistant.
 What is the enabling material property of bronze
for artistic castings?
 Bronze must be melted and poured into moulds
to be shaped. It must also be corrosion resistant
( for art displayed outdoors). When subjected to
outdoors environment, bronze develops an oxide
known as patina. This patina protects bronze
from further corrosion.
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 Properties of materials
 What is the enabling material property of
steel for ball bearings in a bicycle’s wheel
hub?
 Ball bearings in a bicycle’s wheel hub reduce
friction between metal surfaces.
 So steel is used because it has a high strength
and hardness.
 What is the enabling material property of zinc
coating on steel?
 Zinc provides corrosion resistance to iron,
protecting it from oxidation.

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 Give 2 specific examples for following
classes of materials:
 Metals

 Ceramics

 Polymers

 Semiconductors

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© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
Give 2 specific examples for following
classes of materials:

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© 2011 Cengage Learning Engineering. All Rights Reserved.
 Give 2 specific examples for following
classes of materials
 Polymers
– Two specific examples of polymers are polystyrene
and polytetrafluoroethylene known as Teflon.
Styrofoam is polystyrene rigid foam insulation used
for cups to keep drinks warm.
– Teflon is used as coating on inside of cookware/frying
pans-prevents food from adhering to pan
 Semiconductors
– Two examples of semiconductors are silicon doped
with phosphorous (n-type)and silicon doped with
boron ( p-type). Both type of impurities convert
silicon into useful conductor.

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 You need transparent canopy for aircraft.
Would traditional window glass canopy serve?
 No. Rock or birds may cause it to shatter. So, design a
material that would minimize damage or keep canopy
from breaking.
 Sandwich a thin sheet of transparent polymer between
two layers of glass. This is used for windshields of
cars, preventing safety glass from disintegrating.
 One can also use a transparent glassy polymer like
polycarbonate. Polymers can also toughened to resist
impact by adding tiny globules of rubber into polymer;
these improve energy absorbing ability of composite
polymer.


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