AES 402A - Materials Science & Engineering

01 - Introduction

1.0 Objectives of & expectations after today's discussion.- deleted to save space

1,1 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Early humans have access to only very limited number of materials - stone, clay, wood,grasses, animal skins, &
bones, etc. With time , they discovered & develop techniques of producing materials that had qualities more
superior than those of natural ones. These new materials included pottery & various metals. Historically,
development & advancement of human civilization had been intimately tied up to man's ability to produce materials
to meet his needs. In fact early civilization had been designated by their materials development. Thus we have the
STONE AGE, ...the BRONZE AGE,...IRON AGE. When people found copper and how to make it harder by alloying,
the Bronze Age started about 3000 BC. The use of iron and steel, a stronger material that gave advantage in wars
started at about 1200 BC. The next big step was the discovery of a cheap process to make steel around 1850,
which enabled the railroads and the building of the modern infrastructure of the industrial world. It was not until
relatively recent times that man came to understand the relationship between the structural elements of materials
and their properties. This knowledge acquired in the past 60 years or so, had empowered man to fashion to a large
degree the characteristics of materials. Thus, tens of thousands of different materials had evolved with rather
specialized characteristics that meet the needs of our modern and highly specialized society.

1.2 MATERIAL SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

Material Science - A discipline focussed on Chemistry and Physics that is involved in the study &
investigation of the relationship between STRUCTURES and PROPERTIES of
materials
Materials Engineering - is, on the basis of these structure-property correlation,designing or engineering the
structure of a material to produce a predetermined set of properties, . . ie engineering
applications of material science.
Structure - relates to the internal components of the material. There are 4 levels :
1.) subatomic structure - involves electron within the individual atoms & their
interaction with the nuclei.
2.) atomic structure - encompasses the organization of atoms or molecules
relative to each other.
3.) microscopic structure - contains large group of atoms or molecules that are
normally agglomerated together which can be subject to
direct observation with some type of microscope.
4.) macroscopic structure - elements that can be viewed by the naked eye.

Property - is a trait of a material in terms of kind and magnitude of response to a specific stimulus, or the way the
material responds to the environment. For instance, the mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties
are the responses to mechanical, electrical and magnetic forces, respectively.

Six (6) Categories or Groups of Properties of Solid Materials :

1.) Mechanical - relates to deformation due to applied load or force.
2.) Electrical - examples are electrical conductivity & dielectric constant. Electric field is the
stimuli.

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 3.) Thermal - can be represented in terms of heat capacity & thermal conductivity. Heat is
stimuli.
4.) Magnetic - demonstrate response when subjected to magnetic field.
5.) Optical - examples are refractive index & reflectivity, stimulated by visible light .
6.) Deteriorative - indicate the chemical reactivity of the material,

In addition to Structure & Property, the two (2) other important components involved in Material Science &
Engineering are : " PROCESSING " and " PERFORMANCE ". Regarding the relationship of these 4
components : Structure will depend on how the material is processed. Property is dependent on the structure,
and Performance is a function of Propery. Thus their interrelationship is linear :

Processing ----> Structure ----> Property ----> Performance

1.3 WHY STUDY MATERIAL SCIENCE ?

* 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.

1.4 CLASSIFICATION OF SOLID MATERIALS

Solids have been conveniently grouped into basic classification based primarily on chemical
make-up and atomic structure (how the atoms are bound together): 1.) Metals, 2.) Ceramics, and
3.) Polymers. In addition, there are three (3) other groups of important engineering materials (not based on
atomic bonding) that are included : 4.) Semiconductors, 5.) Composites, and 6.) Biomaterials

1.) Metals - Normally these are combinations of metallic elements, ie alloys.Extremely good
conductors of heat & electricity, not transparent to visible light, has lustrous
appearance, and are quite strong yet deformable.
- valence electrons are detached from atoms, and spread in an 'electron sea'
that "glues" the ions together. Examples: aluminum, steel, brass, gold.
2.) Ceramics - Compounds between matallic and non-metallic elements. and are most frequently
oxides, nitrides, & carbides. This group includesclay, cement, & glass, Typically
insulative to heat & electricity, and are more resistant to high temperature and harsh
environment than metals and polymers. Hard, but brittle.
- atoms behave mostly like either positive or negative ions, and are bound by Coulomb
forces between them. Examples: glass, porcelain, and many minerals.
3.) Polymers - Includes familiar plastics & rubber. Organic compounds chemically based on carbon,
hydrogen, & other nonmetallic elements, Have large molecular structures, tyically have
low density, and may be extremely flexible.
- are bound by covalent forces and also by weak van der Waals forces. They decompose
at moderate temperatures (100 – 400 C), and are lightweight. Other properties vary
greatly. Examples: plastics (nylon, teflon, polyester) and rubber.
4.) Semiconductor - Have electrical properties that are imtermediate between electrical conductors &
insulators. Has electrical characteristics that are extremely sensitive to the presence of
minute impurity atoms whose concentration maybe controlled over a small spatial
regions. Had made possible the advent of integrated circuitry which has revolutionized

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 the electronics & computer industry.
- the bonding is covalent (electrons are shared between atoms). They are opaque to
visible light but transparent to the infrared. Examples: Si, Ge, GaAs.
5.) Composites - Engineered from 2 or more types of materials. Designed to display combination of the
best characterictics of each component materials. Example - fiberglass which are
glass fibers embedded in a polymeric materials acquires strength from the glass & the
flexibility from the polymer.
6.) Biomaterials - Employed in components planted into the human body, for replacements of diseased
or damaged body parts. Must not produce toxic substances,& must be compatible with
the body tissue. All of the above materials maybe used as biomaterials.

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