Overview - Material Science

Materials Science and Engineering

• It all about the raw materials and how they
are processed
• That is why we call it materials ENGINEERING
• Minor differences in Raw materials or
processing parameters can mean major
changes in the performance of the final
material or product
 Materials Science and Engineering
• Materials Science
– The discipline of investigating the relationships that exist between the
structures and properties of materials.
• Materials Engineering
– 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:
– Structure of Materials
– Properties of Materials
– Processing of Materials
– Performance of Materials
 Doing Materials!
• Engineered Materials are a function of:
– Raw Materials Elemental Control
– Processing History
• Our Role in Engineering Materials then is to understand the
application and specify the appropriate material to do the job
as a function of:
– Strength: yield and ultimate
– Ductility, flexibility
– Weight/density
– Working Environment
– Cost: Lifecycle expenses, Environmental impact*

* Economic and Environmental Factors often are the

most important when making the final decision!
 Introduction
• List the Major Types of MATERIALS That You
Know:
– METALS
– CERAMICS
– POLYMERS
– COMPOSITES
– ADVANCED MATERIALS
 Introduction, cont.
• Metals • Polymers
– Steel, Cast Iron, – Plastics, Wood, Cotton
Aluminum, Copper, (rayon, nylon), “glue”
Titanium, many others • Composites
• Ceramics – Glass Fiber-reinforced
– Glass, Concrete, Brick, polymers, Carbon Fiber-
Alumina, Zirconia, SiN, reinforced polymers,
SiC Metal Matrix
Composites, etc.
 Materials
• Over 70,000 different kinds and grades of
engineering materials
• This number grows daily
• 1,000 different materials
make up an
automobile
 The Three Basics:
• Metals

• Polymers
– Composites

• Ceramics
 Metal
• Cast Iron
• Steel
– Mild steel, medium carbon steel, high carbon steel
• Specialty steel
– Stainless (tin plated or galvanized)
• Alloys (two or more pure metals)
– Steel= iron & carbon
– Brass= copper & zinc
– Bronze= copper & tin
 Polymers
• Natural
– Animal cellulose

• Synthetic-
– Thermoplastics
– Thermosets
 Natural Composites
• Hardwood
– Deciduous Trees

• Softwood
– Coniferous
 Ceramics
• Clay based
– Structural clay-tile, brick
– Porcelain
• Refractories
– Heat resistant (fire bricks)
• Glasses
• Inorganic cements
Thoughts about these “fundamental”
Materials
• Metals:
– Strong, ductile
– high thermal & electrical conductivity
– opaque, reflective.

• Polymers/plastics: Covalent bonding  sharing of e’s

– Soft, ductile, low strength, low density
– thermal & electrical insulators
– Optically translucent or transparent.

• Ceramics: ionic bonding (refractory) – compounds of metallic & non-

metallic elements (oxides, carbides, nitrides, sulfides)
– Brittle, glassy, elastic
– non-conducting (insulators)
 The Materials Selection Process

1. Pick Application Determine required Properties

Properties: mechanical, electrical, thermal,
magnetic, optical, deteriorative.
2. Properties Identify candidate Material(s)
Material: structure, composition.

3. Material Identify required Processing

Processing: changes structure and overall shape
ex: casting, sintering, vapor deposition, doping
forming, joining, annealing.
 Course Goal is to make you aware of the
importance of Material Selection by:

• Using the right material for the job.

one that is most economical and
“Greenest” when life usage is considered

• Understanding the relation between

properties, structure, and processing.

• Recognizing new design opportunities offered

by materials selection.