ME 212 Materials

Science
Week 1: Introduction
Chapter 1 - Introduction
• What is materials science?
• Why is it important?
• Why should we know about it?
• Materials drive our society
• Stone Age
• Bronze Age
• Iron Age
• Now?
• Silicon Age?
• Polymer Age?
Why Study Materials Science and
Engineering
• To be able to select a material for a given use based on considerations
of cost and performance.
• To understand the limits of materials and the change of their
properties with use.
• To be able to create a new material that will have some desirable
properties.
Materials Science vs. Materials
Engineering
• Regarding structure-property correlations:
• Materials science involves investigating the relationship btw
structures & properties of materials.
• Materials Eng. is designing or engineering the structure of a material
to produce a predetermined set of properties.
• Regarding functional prospective:
• The role of materials scientist is to develop or synthesize new
materials
• Materials engineers create new products or systems using existing
materials, and/or develop techniques for processing materials.
6 Different Types of Properties
• Mechanical: Deformation due to applied load or force
• Stiffness, strength, resistance to fracture
• Electrical: Reaction to an applied electric field
• Electrical conductivity, dielectric constant
• Thermal: Changes in temperature or temperature gradients across a material
• Thermal expansion and heat capacity
• Magnetic: Reaction to an applied magnetic field
• Magnetic susceptibility
• Optical: Reaction to an applied electromagnetic radiation
• Index of refraction, birefringence
• Deteriorative: Defines reaction to chemical reactivity
• Corrosion
Electrical
• Electrical resistivity of copper:
• Adding “impurity” atoms to Cu increases resistivity
• Deforming Cu increases resistivity. 6
t %Ni
5 3 .32 a
Cu +
4 at %N i
6 Ni

(10-8 Ohm-m)
Resistivity, r
2 .1 t %
Cu + 1 .12 a
3 C u +
r med
defo t % N i
2 1 .1 2a
Cu +
1 ” C u
e
“Pur
0 T (°C)
-200 -100 0
Adapted from Fig. 18.8, Callister 7e.
Thermal
• Silica fiber insulation offers low • Thermal conductivity of
heat conduction. copper:
• Used in space shuttle tiles • It decreases with zinc addition

400

Thermal Conductivity
300

(W/m-K)
200

100
0
0 10 20 30 40
100 mm Composition (wt% Zinc)
Adapted from Chapter 19, Callister 7e. Adapted from Fig. 19.4W, Callister 6e. Adapted from Fig. 19.4, Callister 7e.
Magnetic
• Magnetic Permeability (measure of magnetization produced in response) vs.
Composition:
Fe+3%Si
Magnetization

Fe

Magnetic Field

• Adding 3 atomic % Si makes Fe a better recording medium! (hard drives)

Adapted from C.R. Barrett, W.D. Nix, and A.S.
Tetelman, The Principles of Engineering Materials
Optical
• Transmittance (What % of light penetrates the material?)
• Aluminum oxide may be transparent, translucent, or opaque
depending on the material structure (see the last slide)
transparent translucent opaque

Fig. 1.2, Callister & Rethwisch 9e.

Deteriorative
• Stress and saltwater causes cracks

Adapted from Chapter 17, Callister 7e.

• Heat treatment: Slows cracking in saltwater!

10 -8
crack speed (m/s)

“as-is”
“held at 160°C for 1 hr before testing” Material is Al "alloy“ (Zn,Cu,Mg,Zr)

10 -10

Adapted from Fig. 11.20(b), R.W. Hertzberg, "Deformation and Fracture

increasing load Mechanics of Engineering Materials" (4th ed)
Structure, Processing & Properties
• Interrelationship among processing, structure, properties, and
performance of materials may be depicted in linear fashion
• Called the materials paradigm  Forms the core of the discipline of
materials science and engineering
• Experience shows that the properties and phenomena associated
with a material are intimately related to its composition and structure
at all levels, including atomic level. This structure is the result of
synthesis and processing.

10.1080/03719553.2016.1235302
Materials Selection Process
1. Pick the application  Determine the required properties
• Mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, magnetic, deteriorative
2. From properties  Identify material(s)
• Structure and composition
3. Once identified  Find out what processing is required
• Changes structure and shape of the material
Structure of Materials
• Structure of a material usually relates to the arrangement of its
internal components. There are several levels:
• Subatomic structure  Involves electrons within the individual atoms, their
energies and interactions with the nuclei
• Atomic structure  Organization of atoms to yield molecules or crystals
• Nanostructure  Aggregates of atoms that form particles that have nanoscale
dimensions (less that about 100 nm)
• Microstructure  Elements that are subject to direct observation using some
type of microscope (between 100 nm and several millimeters)
• Macrostructure  Structural elements that may be viewed with naked eye
(with scale range between several millimeters and on the order of a meter)
Example of Processing’s Effect on
Structure
• The performance of a material depends on its properties
• Properties depend on structure
• Processing can change structure

600
500 (c)
Hardness (BHN)

400 (b)
(a)
4 μm
300
30 μm
200 30 μm

100
0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000 Data obtained from Figs. 12.31(a) and 12.32
with 4 wt% C composition, and from Fig. 17.8,
Cooling Rate (℃/s) Callister & Rethwisch 9e.
Example of Processing’s Effect on
Structure
• Transmittance of Al2O3 depends on how it is produced
• Transparent, translucent or opaque
polycrystal: polycrystal:
single crystal no porosity some porosity

Fig. 1.2, Callister & Rethwisch 9e.

Types of Materials
• Most engineering materials can be classified into:
• Metals
• Ceramics
• Polymers
• Their chemistries are different. So, their mechanical and physical
properties are different
• In addition, there is a fourth category  Composites
• Nonhomogeneous mixture of the other three types
• Idea is to selectively employ characteristics
Metals
• Atoms are arranged in a very orderly fashion
• Metallic bond
• Relatively dense compared to other types
• Strong, ductile, resistant to fracture
• High thermal & electrical conductivity
• Opaque, reflective
Ceramics
• Common ceramics are oxides, nitrides, and carbides
• Ionic and covalent bonds
• Brittle and glassy
• Non-conducting (insulative to the passage of heat & electricity)
• Could be transparent, translucent or opaque
Polymers
• Covalent bonding (electron sharing)
• Soft, ductile, low strength, low density
• Thermal & electrical insulators
• Optically translucent or transparent
• Chemically inert and unreactive
• Sensitive to temperature changes
Composites
• Achieve a combination of properties that is not displayed by any
single material
• Incorporate the best characteristics of each of the component
materials
• Light, strong, flexible
• Fiberglass
• Small glass fibers embedded in polymer
• Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer
• Half of Airbus A350 and Boeing 787
Advanced Materials
• Do not belong to a specific type of material
• Used for high-tech applications
• Semiconductors
• Have electrical conductivities between conductors
and insulators. Can be controlled easily
• Biomaterials
• Must be compatible with body tissues (Joints, heart valve replacements, blood vessel grafts)
• Smart materials
• Could sense and respond to changes in their environments in predetermined manners (e.g.
shape-memory alloys, piezoelectric ceramics)
• Nanomaterials
• Have structural features on the order of nanometers  Do not exhibit on macro level materials
(Opaque materials may become transparent on the nanoscale; some solids become liquids,
chemically stable materials become combustible, and electrical insulators become conductors
doi:10.1039/C1CS15237H
Types of Materials Comparison

Density Stiffness

Tensile strength has a very similar trend.

Types of Materials Comparison

Resistance to fracture Electrical conductivity

Materials Property Charts

• Extremely helpful in
selecting materials
• Also called bubble
charts or Ashby
charts
What is Covered?
• Types of Properties
• Types of Materials
• Materials Paradigm