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Introduction to materials science and engineering
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.Materials Science
o
The discipline of investigating the relationships that exist between the
structures and properties of materials.
Materials Engineering
o
The discipline of designing or engineering the structure of a material to
produce a predetermined set of properties based on established
structure-property correlation.
Four Major Components of Material Science and Engineering:
o
Structure of Materials
o
Properties of Materials
o
Processing of Materials
o
Performance of Materials
Why Study Materials Science and Engineering?
All engineers need to know about materials. Innovation in engineering often means
the clever use of a new material for a specific application. For example: plastic
containers in place of age-old metallic containers. It is well learnt lesion that
engineering disasters are frequently caused by the misuse of materials. So it is vital
that the professional engineer should know how to select materials which best fit the
demands of the design - economic and aesthetic demands, as well as demands of
strength and durability. Beforehand the designer must understand the properties of
materials, and their limitations. Thus it is very important that every engineer must
study and understand the concepts of Materials Science and Engineering. This enables
the engineer
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• 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.
• To be able to use the material for different application.
Classification of Materials
Like many other things, materials are classified in groups, One can classify them
based on many criteria, for example crystal structure (arrangement of atoms and
bonds between them), or properties, or use. Metals, Ceramics, Polymers, Composites,
Semiconductors, and Biomaterials constitute the main classes of present engineering
materials.
Metals
These materials are characterized by high thermal and electrical conductivity; strong
yet deformable under applied mechanical loads; opaque to light (shiny if polished).
These characteristics are due to valence electrons that are detached from atoms, and
spread in an electron sea that glues the ions together, i.e. atoms are bound together by
metallic bonds and weaker van der Waalls forces. Pure metals are not good enough
for many applications, especially structural applications. Thus metals are used in alloy
form i.e. a metal mixed with another metal to improve the desired qualities. E.g.:
aluminum, steel, brass, gold.
Ceramics
These are inorganic compounds, and usually made either of oxides, carbides, nitrides,
or silicates of metals. Ceramics are typically partly crystalline and partly amorphous.
Atoms (ions often) in ceramic materials behave mostly like either positive or negative
ions, and are bound by very strong Coulomb forces between them. These materials
are characterized by very high strength under compression, low ductility; usually
insulators to heat and electricity. Examples: glass, porcelain, many minerals.
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Polymers
Polymers in the form of thermo-plastics (nylon, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride,
rubber, etc.) consist of molecules that have covalent bonding within each molecule
and van der Waals forces between them. Polymers in the form of thermo-sets (e.g.,
epoxy, phenolics, etc.) consist of a network of covalent bonds. They are based on H,
C and other non-metallic elements. Polymers are amorphous, except for a minority of
thermoplastics. Due to the kind of bonding, polymers are typically electrical and
thermal insulators. However, conducting polymers can be obtained by doping, and
conducting polymer-matrix composites can be obtained by the use of conducting
fillers. They decompose at moderate temperatures (100 – 400 C). These materials
typically have low densities and may be extremely flexible.
Composite materials
Composite materials are multiphase materials obtained by artificial combination of
different materials to attain properties that the individual components cannot attain.
An example is a lightweight brake disc obtained by embedding SiC particles in Al-
alloy matrix. Another example is reinforced cement concrete, a structural composite
obtained by combining cement (the matrix, i.e., the binder, obtained by a reaction
known as hydration, between cement and water), sand (fine aggregate), gravel (coarse
aggregate), and, thick steel
fibers. However, there are some natural composites
available in nature, for example – wood. In general, composites are classified
according to their matrix materials. The main classes of composites are metal-matrix,
polymer-matrix, and ceramic-matrix.
Semiconductors
Semiconductors have electrical properties that are intermediate between the electrical
conductors and insulators. Furthermore, the electrical characteristics of these
materials are extremely sensitive to the presence of minute concentrations of impurity
atoms, which concentrations may be controlled over very small spatial regions.
They are opaque to visible light but transparent to the infrared. Examples: silicon
(Si), germanium (Ge), and gallium arsenide (GaAs, a compound semiconductor).
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Biomaterials
These are any type material that can be used for replacement of damaged or diseased
human body parts. Primary requirement of these materials is that they must be
biocompatible with body tissues, and must not produce toxic substances. Other
important material factors are: ability to support forces; low friction, wear, density,
and cost; reproducibility. Typical applications involve heart valves, hip joints, dental
implants, intraocular lenses. Examples: Stainless steel, Co-28Cr-6Mo, Ti-6Al-4V,
ultra high molecular weight poly-ethelene, high purity dense Al-oxide, etc.
Advanced Materials
These are materials used in High-Tech devices those operate based on relatively
intricate and sophisticated principles (e.g. computers, air/space-crafts, electronic
gadgets, etc.). These materials are either traditional materials with enhanced
properties or newly developed materials with high-performance capabilities. Hence
these are relatively expensive. Typical applications: integrated circuits, lasers, LCDs,
fiber optics, thermal protection for space shuttle, etc. Examples: Metallic foams, inter-
metallic compounds, multi-component alloys, magnetic alloys, special ceramics and
high temperature materials, etc.
Modern Materials needs
Though there has been tremendous progress over the decades in the field of materials
science and engineering, innovation of new technologies, and need for better
performances of existing technologies demands much more from the materials field.
More over it is evident that new materials/technologies are needed to be
environmental friendly. Some typical needs, thus, of modern materials needs are listed
in the following:
• Engine efficiency increases at high temperatures: requires high temperature
structural materials
• Use of nuclear energy requires solving problem with residues, or advances in
nuclear waste processing.
• Hypersonic flight requires materials that are light, strong and resist high
temperatures.
• Optical communications require optical fibers that absorb light negligibly.
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• Civil construction – materials for unbreakable windows.
• Structures: materials that are strong like metals and resist corrosion like plastics.