£6) The Evolution of Materials Over Time “Materials have been, and continue o be, so important to the afvancement of human civilization that archae- logists named ages after those materials that led to the advance. Since human beings first appeared on the planet, the quality oftheir lives has evolved as materials have evolved. Tools, weapons, utensils, and 16. The Evolution of Materials Over Time 15 decorative articles, as well as shelters (houses and buildings), means of transportation (wagons, ships, trains, aircraft, and automobiles) highways, dams, bridges, tunnels, means of communication (printing presses, telegraphs, telephones, cell phones, radios and televisions, the Internet), and on and on have all been enabled, by advances in materials, First stone, then fired clay and brick, then native metals, then alloys, then glass, then plastics, then semiconductors, and then composites—each advance in civilization has been tied to a material and driven the growth of that material relative to other materials, Figure 1.4 shows a semiquantitative plot of how materials have evolved since the dawn of fuman beings tothe present. Major material types (not just metals, ceramics, and polymers) are shown as relative proportions at each point in time, By looking atthe plot, one can te the relative growth of a particular mate rial (and the relative decline of another) to major events in history. Examples can be seen with the dawn of Hal (and the relative decline of another) 1 major events in history. Examples can be seen with dhe dawn of the Industrial Age (in the late 17011) and, especially, at the ent of World War IL (1943) Where we go from where we are now depends on two things that are intractably linked: What people land societies feel they need and what they like and what materials and chemical engineers can provide, as clther the response to that or as a technology push for unimagined new designs. E wae ft = i ll faa 3 oe Congas é Se EU oe ee coment Silat Commots Pyros sardnss (Ae Bun, eZ ote Date Figure Ld‘A schematic plt showing how te relative usage (imporunee) of various 1yps and major subtypes of materials evolved ‘overtime, Note:The vertical axis ofthe plot doesnot reflec tal usage, ony relative proportions. Without question, total usage of al materials has nereased as the population ofthe World nereasod and as people in various pas ofthe ‘world became more and more develope and industrialized Note tha he time scale i nonlinear (eps rm A MF Maral Seton Mechanical Des, Tn eto, p.3. Copy Ele, 2003) 16 Chapter 1 Materia: Buling locks or Engineers 1.7, Materials Selection in Design: Every Engineer's Challenge [i should be clear by now that engineers are creators, They design, manufueture, construct, operate, service, repair, and replace the physical things we al, as a society and as individuals, either depend om oF like t0 have. From Wheatsione bridges in electrical eitcuits tthe Whitestone Bridge near New York City and Long. Islond, from rapid transit shuts to the next-generation space shuttle, from new knoe pads to replacement knees, and from to Wiis to SkiDoos, engineets design wiist we need and what we enjoy. The frst priority for 00 ‘Strength - Density vo | eS Seat & So é 2 oo1 bor o % Density,» (Mgim®) Fiowe 1.8Am example ofthe use of plots of the fil spectrum of two properties of conser ina desig oa inthe dentifaton of ‘omporalealeratves Gn tems the plated properties only?) asthe Ft stp in material selection, Kno a te ‘al slecton chants this particu one plot the range of sength vers th ange density exhibited byl materi. [sufi for selecting materia wth comparable strength o-weight ratios o minzesrctral weigh Nos that yes ‘sn, espacial subtypes, tend to have these proper fal within enslepeso Bubbles, asthe esti of he inherent ‘tructure-propesty laws fo the type oe subtype. Comparable materia he ome ane dashed desianpuieline (Reprints rom Ay, MF alr Sletion in chanical Design, Tin etn 4 Copygh by heir. 28) Summary 17 «a success design is that it provides the needed or wanted function, Beyond functionality, the product oF structure should Be as easy to manufactur or construct as practical cost should be contained, environmental impact should he considered and addressed (ineludin some consideration should always be given to aesthetics. Each of these goals—funcionality, manufactur bility. cost. and aestheries-—is intimately dependent on selecting the nroper material. ‘To become an engineer, it is essential that you learn about materials, how they behave (Le. their properties) and why they behave that way (i. their stucture), and how they can he processed to optimize their performance. Is the goal of this book to help you leasn the essence of materials, leaving ito you— \with other books on materials—te learn more details as you need them, Figure 1.5 shows one increasingly popular way selecting materials (i.e. using materials selection, charts). The example shown isthe chart for strength versus density, with al classes (types and subtypes) of ‘materials occupying “envelopes” or “bubbles” in a fullspoctram plot of these properties. SUMMARY Since the first caveman picked wpa rock and usd it as «haruer, burnan beings have relied on materials. So important have materials hoon othe advancement of evilizaton ha archaeologists devised a thee age system for elasiyng pe istry following the Stone Age hased on the pevaling material ofthe time—narely the Copper Age. the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. Even in modern times, our lives ae so iletwinod with materials that we fend to name periods for Imaterials or technologies that are only possible Becsse of material (eg the Computer Ape or Digital Age dependent ‘on silicon based semiconductors) [Noengincet,reganless of discipline, can get along without unestaning materials including the tree major types— metal, ceramies and olyiers—as wells important subtypes (eg lasses, semiconductors, ad composites) Beyond the dependence ofthe streture of material on i propentes tats the say of materials seienee, engineers ned 0 be on ‘emmed with and understand the impact ofthe Further interdependence ofthese on processing and performance. ‘Which mero pes orcas trl to predominate at any pont in history as eva as the dkcovery of now imate hs occured, ether in rexpome ta need orn enabler for unimagined opponents Tnformed selection among the 100.000 plus metals, corms, polymers, lass, wood, and synthetic composts that are commercially avsilale ese ll engineers toler about material. With knowlege ofthe esence of materials, No possbilies emerge for ihe practicing engineer in design and problem solving innovation,