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Chapter 1 :
Introduction to
Materials Science and
Engineering

Dr Halina Misran
METB 113

Outlines
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Materials and Engineering

Materials Science and Engineering
Types of Materials
Competition Among Materials
Recent Advances in Materials Science
- Smart Materials
- Nanoengineered Materials
Modern Materials Need
Design and Selection

Materials - substance of which something is composed or

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made.
Materials are needed in our everydays life.
- Transportation, housing, clothing, medical applications,
recreation, food production etc.
The development and advancement of a society highly
depends on the ability to produce and applied the
materials to suit their need.
Understanding the material is the key to the progress
in technologies to produce new, advanced materials.
We obtain materials from earth crust and atmosphere.

Why the studies of materials?

Production and processing of materials constitute a
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large part of our economy.
Engineers should choose materials to suite certain
design and applications by knowing the internal
structure and properties of the materials.
New materials might be needed for some new
applications.
Example :- Very high or low temperature resistant
materials, light-weight materials.
Space station (ISS) and Mars Rovers should sustain
conditions in space ~ High speed, low temperature,
strong but light.
Materials with modification of properties might be
needed for some applications.
Example :- Heat treatment to modify properties.
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Materials Science and Engineering

Materials science deals with basic knowledge about

the internal structure, properties and processing of
materials.
Materials engineering deals with the application of
knowledge gained by materials science to convert
materials to products.

Materials Science

Basic
Knowledge
of
Materials

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Materials Science
and Engineering

Materials
Engineering

Resultant knowledge
of structure, properties,
processing and
performance of
engineering materials

Applied
Knowledge
of Materials

Materials Classification
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Major Materials are:

Metal
Polymer
Ceramic
Any two or more combinations of major materials : Composite
Materials
Advanced Materials:
Semiconductor, i.e. Electronic Materials
Bioceramics
Nanomaterials
Smart Materials

The Mars Rovers - Spirit and Opportunity

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Fig. 1. Robot geologist by NASA - Spirit, opportunity and

dreams are made up of materials such as Metals, Ceramics,
Composites, Polymers and Semiconductors.
www.nasa.gov

Metallic Materials
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Composed of one or more metallic elements (alloy)

Example: Iron, Copper, Aluminum, Titanium, Gold. Nickel.
Metallic element may combine with nonmetallic elements
(carbon, nitrogen, oxygen) - metal alloys
Example:- Silicon Carbide, Iron Oxide, Iron Carbide
Atoms are arranged in orderly manner crystalline.
Good thermal and electric conductors.
Applications : aerospace,
Metals and Alloys
biomedical, electronic,
energy, transport
Ferrous
Nonferrous
civil structural.
Eg: Steel,
Eg:Copper
Cast Iron

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Aluminum

Fig. 2. Metal and alloy classification.

Fig.3 The Golden Gate

Bridge north of San
Francisco, California is
one of the most famous
and most beautiful
examples of a steel
bridge. (Courtesy of Dr.
Michael Meier.)

Fig. 4. The Sundial

Bridge in Redding,
California is a modern
masterpiece of bridge
design. (Courtesy of
Corbis.)

Polymeric Materials
Long molecular chain or networks usually based on organic
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(C, H, O, N, Si) and mostly noncrystalline plastic and
rubber materials.
Some are mixtures of crystalline and noncrystalline
regions.
Poor conductors of electricity and hence used as insulator.
Many polymers are ductile and pliable.
Inert in most environments.
Low densities and some:low decomposition temperatures.
Low conductivity and nonmagnetic.
Industries: polymer-polymer mixtures or blend
Examples : Nylon, Poly vinyl Chloride (PVC), Polyster,
Polyethylene, Polycarbonate, Polystyrene, Silicone rubber
etc. Applications : Appliances, DVDs, Fabrics etc.
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Fig. 5. Miscellaneous internal

parts of a parking meter are
made of an acetal polymer.
Engineered polymers are
typically inexpensive and are
characterized by ease of
formation and adequate
structural properties. (Courtesy
of the Du Pont Company,
Engineering Polymers Division.)

Fig. 6. Since its

development during
World War II, nylon
fabric remains the
most popular material
of choice for
parachute designs.
(Courtesy of
Stringer/Agence
France Presse/Getty
Images.)

Ceramic Materials
Metallic and nonmetallic elements are chemically bonded
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together.
Properties between metallic and nonmetallic elements.
Inorganic materials but the structure can be either
crystalline, noncrystalline or a mixture of both.
High hardness, strength and wear and corrosion resistance,
thermal shock resistance, brittle , easily fractured.
Very good insulator - used for heating furnace, electrical
appliances, cutting tools in machineries, aerospace.

Industries: engineering ceramics, structural ceramics

and advanced ceramics.
Example: Porcelain, Glass, Alumina (Al2O3), Silicon nitride
(Si3N4), silicon carbide (SiC)

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Fig. 7. Some common

ceramics for traditional
engineering applications.
These miscellaneous parts with
characteristic resistance to
damage by high temperatures
and corrosive environments are
used in a variety of furnaces
and chemical processing
systems. (Courtesy of Duramic
Products, Inc.)

Fig. 8. High-temperature
sodium vapor lamp made
possible by use of an
engineered ceramics,
translucent Al2O3 cylinder
for containing the sodium
vapor.
(Note that the Al2O3
cylinder is inside the
exterior glass envelope.)
(Courtesy of General
Electric Company.)

Composites Materials
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Mixture of two or more individual materials such as metal,

ceramic, polymer to achieve properties that is not displayed
by individual materials.
Consists of a filler material and a matrix material.
Materials only bond with each other, will not dissolve in each
other.
Two types:
1) Filler can be fibrous, particulate and structural
2) Matrix can be metals (MMC), ceramic (CMC) or polymer (PMC).
Examples : natural wood, bone
Man-made GFRP glass fiber reinforced polymer : fiber glass
in a polyester matrix or epoxy matrix)
Applications:- Aircraft wings and engine, helmets, bowling ball,
golf ball, etc.

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Fig. 9. Kevlar reinforcement is

a popular application in modern
high-performance tires. In this
case, the durability of sidewall
reinforcement is tested along
concrete ridges at a proving
ground track. (Courtesy of the
Goodyear Tire and Rubber
Company.)

Fig. 10. The small cable on

the right contains 144 glass
fibers and can carry more
than three times as many
telephone conversations as
the traditional (and much
larger) copper-wire cable on
the left. (Courtesy of the San
Francisco Examiner.)

Advanced Materials

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Materials that use high technology (device operates or

functions using sophisticated principles) applications are
called advanced materials.
Traditional materials with enhanced properties or newly
developed high performance materials.
Semiconductors properties between insulator and
conductor and could be controlled by
Biomaterials human implants to replace damage
parts, must be biocompatible with human tissue and
non-toxic. (metal, ceramics, polymer, composite)
Materials for the future :
Smart Materials
Nanoengineered Materials

Electronic Materials
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Not major by volume but very important for advanced

engineering technologies.
Pure silicon is a common electronic material.
Its electrical characteristics are changed by adding
impurities and modified to change their electronic
properties.
Examples:- Silicon chips, transistors

Applications :- Computers, Integrated Circuits,

Satellites, robots etc.

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Smart Materials
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Smart (or Intelligent) Materials : Change their

properties by sensing external stimulus such as
pressure, temperature
Shape memory alloys: Strained material reverts
back to its original shape above a critical
temperature.
Used in heart valves and to expand arteries.

Piezoelectric materials: Produce electric field

when exposed to pressure and vice versa.
Used in actuators and vibration reducers.

Nanoengineered Materials
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With the advanced in imaging technology such as electron

microscopy, materials are designed directly from the
atomic structure level, called bottom-up approach.
Nanomaterials have characteristics length of 100 nm.
(1 nm = 10-9m) of particle size, layers, thickness, grain
size.
Have unique properties properties not found at atomic
level nor properties at bulk level.
carbon nanotubes, nanoporous silica etc.

Competition Among Materials

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Materials compete with each other to exist in the new

market

Over a period of time usage of different materials changes

depending on their cost and performance.

New, cheaper or better materials replace the old materials

when there is a breakthrough in technology.

Some properties maybe sacrificed in order to achieve the

desired end results.

After J.G. Simon, Adv. Mat. & Proc., 133:63(1988) and new data

Competition Among Materials

Example:Aluminum
Iron
Plastic
Steel

1600
1400

lb/Car

1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1985

1992

1997

Model Year

Figure 11.

Predictions and use of materials in US automobiles.

Design and Selection

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Materials engineer should consider the following:

Various classes of materials
Properties and structure
Environmental issue, manufacturing process
Economic issue, costs saving
in designing the products as well as the materials to
be used.

Fig. 11. Schematic illustration of the integral relationship among materials,

the processing of those materials, and engineering design. (From G. E.
Dieter, in ASM Handbook, Vol. 20: Materials Selection and Design, ASM
International, Materials Park, OH, 1997, p. 243.)

Case Study Material Selection

Problem: Select suitable material for bicycle frame

and fork.

Steel and
alloys

Wood

Low cost but

Heavy. Less
Corrosion
resistance

Light and
strong. But
Cannot be
shaped

Carbon fiber
Reinforced
plastic

Aluminum
alloys

Ti and Mg
alloys

Very light and Light, moderately Slightly better

strong. No Strong. Corrosion
Than Al
corrosion.
Resistance. alloys. But much
Very expensive
expensive
expensive

Cost important? Select steel

Properties important? Select CFRP

Modern Materials Needs

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Despite tremendous development in materials science

and engineering, technical challenges to produce more
sophisticated and specialized materials are yet to be
taken.
The environmental impact when producing and
processing these materials should also be considered
environmental-friendly process are favored hydrogen
fuel cell to replace batteries.
Most materials are made from non-renewable
resources, thus re-cyclable, environmental-friendly, from
renewable resources, new materials are to be
developed
Light-weight materials.

Future Trends
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Metallic Material
Alloys may be improved by better chemistry and process control.
New aerospace alloys being constantly researched.
o
Aim: To improve temperature and corrosion resistance.
o
Example: Nickel based high temperature super alloys.
New processing techniques are investigated.
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Aim: To improve product life and fatigue properties.
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Example: Isothermal forging, Powder metallurgy.

Metals for biomedical applications

Ceramic Materials
New family of engineering ceramics are produced last
decade
New materials and applications are constantly found.
Now used in Auto and Biomedical applications.
However, processing of ceramics is expensive.
Easily damaged as they are highly brittle.
Better processing techniques and high-impact ceramics are
to be found.

Future Trends
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Composite Materials
Fiber reinforced plastics are primary products.
Annual growth rate of 5% is predicted for new
composites such as Fiberglass-Epoxy and GraphiteEpoxy combinations.
Commercial aircrafts are expected to use more and
more composite materials.

Electronic Materials
Use of electronic materials such as silicon
increased rapidly from 1970.
Electronic materials are expected to play vital role
in Factories of Future.
Use of computers and robots will increase
resulting in extensive growth in use of electronic
materials.
Aluminum for interconnections in integrated
circuits might be replaced by copper resulting in
better conductivity

Future Trends
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Polymeric (Plastic Materials)

Fastest growing basic material (9% per year).
After 1995 growth rate decreased due to
saturation.
Different polymeric materials can be blend
together to produce new plastic alloys.
Search for new plastic continues.