Chapter 1

Engineering
Materials

Vocabulary Preview
Match the chemical elements and their symbols.

_______ 1. Iron a. Cu
_______ 2. Carbon b. Fe
_______ 3. Aluminum c. Si
_______ 4. Tungsten d. Ti
_______ 5. Copper e. Cr
_______ 6. Silicon f. Al
_______ 7. Chromium g. Li
_______ 8. Manganese h. Mn
_______ 9. Titanium i. W
_______ 10. Lithium j. C
Pre-reading
Before you read, answer the following questions with a partner or
your classmates?

• What is the difference between ferrous and non-ferrous metals?

• Is water an element, a compound, a mixture?
• Composites are made of two types of materials. What are they?

Reading
Engineering materials can be divided into two types: metals and non-metals. Examples
of metallic materials are iron and copper whereas non-metallic materials include
carbon and silicon. Since iron is such a widely used material, metals can be divided into
those that contain iron, ferrous metals, and those that do not contain iron, non-ferrous
metals.

Concerning the chemical composition of materials; that is, the chemicals they contain
and how those chemicals are combined, three main categories can be used to describe
materials. Elements are pure materials in their most basic form. These cannot be
broken down into different constituents. Examples of elements that are widely used in
engineering materials are iron, carbon and aluminum. Materials that consist of two or
more elements that are chemically bound are called compounds. These are combined
by a chemical reaction that creates chemical links between their different constituents.
An everyday example is water, which is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen. Mixtures
are another category of materials. These consist of two or more elements or compounds
which are mixed, but which are not chemically bound. In engineering, common
examples are alloys; that is, metals that have other metals or non-metals mixed with
them. A common example is steel, which is an iron-carbon alloy, and can include other
alloying metals in small quantities relative to the main metal. Examples of widely used
alloying metals are chromium, manganese, and tungsten.

When we think of high-tech materials, another type of materials comes to mind. These
are composite materials such as carbon-fiber used in aerospace and formula-one cars.
But although we think of composites as high-tech and highly expensive, that is not
always true. The earliest examples of composite materials were bricks made from mud
and straw. To use the correct composite terms, bricks were made from straw
reinforcement, the structural network that reinforces the material inside, and a mud
matrix, the materials surrounding the reinforcement. These terms explain what a
composite material is: a matrix with a reinforcing material inside it. A modern everyday
example of a composite is glass-reinforced plastic (GRP), which has a plastic matrix
reinforced with glass fibers.

Comprehension Check

Are these statements True or False? Write T or F next to each

statement then correct the false statements.

_______ 1. The elements that make up a compound are chemically bound.

_____________________________________________________________
_______ 2. Alloys are chemical compounds that are frequently used in engineering
_____________________________________________________________
_______ 3. Alloys can contain both metallic and non-metallic ingredients.
_____________________________________________________________
_______ 4. In an alloy, an alloying material is the biggest constituent by percentage.
_____________________________________________________________
_______ 5. Steel is a metallic element.
_____________________________________________________________

Word Study
1. Complete the chart with the right word form.

Noun Positive Adjective Negative-Adjective

metal/non-metal
ferrous
non-atomic
magnet
alcoholic
non-basic
linear
verb
2. Fill in each blank with a word from the chart above.

1. Carbon is a __________________________.
2. Copper is a __________________________ metal.
3. Aluminum is a common __________________________.
4. Steel is a widely used _________________________ metal.
5. Although it is used in steel, carbon is __________________________.
6. Aluminum is relatively lightweight for a __________________________ material.
7. Iron is magnetic, but aluminum is a __________________________ metal.
8. In a __________________________ function, the graph is not a straight line.
9. All __________________________ drinks contain some alcohol.
10. __________________________ communication is the transfer of information using
body language such as eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures.

3. Read the following text and write the elements, the compounds,
and the composite materials in the chart below.

Generally, the steel used in reinforced

concrete will have previously been exposed
to water and to the oxygen in the air. As a
result, it will usually be partly corroded,
being covered with a layer of iron oxide
(rust). However, once the steel is inside the
hardened concrete, it will be protected
from air and water, which prevents further rusting. Additionally, the cement in
concrete does not react aggressively with the iron in steel.

Element Compound Alloy Composite

________________ ________________ ________________ ________________
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________
________________ ________________ ________________ ________________
Grammar
1. Study these examples.

Allen is a driver. He drives a school bus.

But now he is asleep. He is not driving a bus
because he is in bed.

We use the simple present to talk about things in general. We use the simple
present to say that something happens all the time or repeatedly, or that
something is true generally.
Examples: The earth goes around the sun.
Doctors treat patients in hospitals.
Allen drives a school bus.

2. Write the correct form of the verb between parentheses.

Examples: Water ______boils______ (boil) at 100 degrees Celsius.
George ______doesn’t go ______ (not/go) to the movies very often.
How many languages ______do you speak ______ (you/speak)?

1. The swimming pool __________________________ (open) at 9:00 and

__________________________ (close) at 6:30 every day.
2. What time __________________________ (the banks / close) here?
3. I have a car, but I __________________________ (not/use) it very often.
4. How many cups of coffee __________________________ (you/drink) every day?
5. "What __________________________ (you/do)?"
"I'm an electrical engineer."
6. "Where __________________________ (your father/come) from?"
"He __________________________ (come) from Mexico."
7. It __________________________ (take) me an hour to get to work. How long
__________________________ (it/take) you?
8. I __________________________ (play) the piano, but I ________________________
(not/play) very well.
9. I don't understand the word "believe." What __________________________
("believe"/mean)?

3. These sentences are correct, but they are not true. Re-write them in
the negative, then write the true information.
Example: The sun goes around the earth.
The sun doesn’t go around the earth.
The earth goes around the sun.

1. The sun rises in the west.

_______________________________________________________________ .
_______________________________________________________________ .
2. Water freezes at 4° Celsius degrees.
_______________________________________________________________ .
_______________________________________________________________ .
3. Mechanics repair computers.
_______________________________________________________________ .
4. The Amazon River flows into the Pacific Ocean.
_______________________________________________________________ .
_______________________________________________________________ .
5. The Atlas Mountains are in Europe
_______________________________________________________________ .
_______________________________________________________________ .
4. Read these sentences and write a question about each beginning with
the word(s) in parentheses.
Examples: Tom plays tennis. (How often?)
How often does Tom play tennis?
I usually go jogging. (What time?)
What time do you usually go jogging?

1. Ann watches television. (How often?)

_______________________________________________________________ .
2. I write to my parents. (How often?)
_______________________________________________________________ .
3. I usually have dinner in the evening. (What time?)
_______________________________________________________________ .
4. Tom works. (Where?)
_______________________________________________________________ .
5. I go to the movies. (How often?)
_______________________________________________________________ .
6. People like to travel in the summer. (Why?)
_______________________________________________________________ .

5. Study these examples.

Allen is not at home. He is in the school bus.

He is driving the school bus.
He is taking the children to school.

We use the present continuous tense when we talk about something that is happening
at the moment of speaking.
6. Write the correct form of the verb between parentheses.
Examples: Please don’t make so much noise. I am studying.
Let’s go out now. It isn’t raining anymore.
Bill! Where are you? What are you doing?

1. Please be quiet. I ________________________ (try) to concentrate.

2. Look! It ________________________ (snow).
3. Why ________________________ (you/look) at me like that? Did I say something
wrong?
4. You ________________________ (make) a lot of noise. Can you be a little bit
quieter?
5. Excuse me, I ________________________ (look) for a phone booth. Is there one
near here?
6. It's a good movie, isn't it? ________________________ (you/enjoy) it?
7. Listen! Can you hear those people next door? They ________________________
(yell) at each other again.
8. Why ________________________ (you/wear) your coat today? It's very warm.
9. I ________________________ (not/work) this week. I'm on vacation.
10. I want to lose weight. I ________________________ (not/eat) anything today.

7. Put the verb into the correct form. Use the simple present (I do) or
the present continuous (I am doing).
Examples: Please don’t make so much noise. I am studying.
How many languages does Tom speak?
Bill! Where are you? What are you doing?

1. Hurry! The bus ________________________ (come). I ________________________

(not/want) to miss it.
2. The Nile River ________________________ (flow) into the Mediterranean.
3. ________________________ (it/ever/snow) in India?
4. We usually ________________________ (grow) vegetables in our garden, but this
year we ________________________ (not/grow) any.
5. A: Can you drive?
B: No, but l ________________________ (learn).
6. You can borrow my umbrella. I ________________________ (not/need) it right
now.
7. I ________________________ (get) hungry. Let's go get something to eat.
8. George is a vegetarian. He ________________________ (not/eat) meat.
9. George says he's 80 years old, but I ________________________ (not/believe) him.
10. Ron is in San Francisco now. He ________________________ (stay) at the Hilton
Hotel. He usually ________________________ (stay) at the Hilton Hotel when he's
in San Francisco.
11. My parents ________________________ (live) in Winnipeg. They were born there
and have never lived anywhere else. Where (your parents / live)?
12. Sarah ________________________ (stay) with her sister until she finds somewhere
else to live.
13. A: What ________________________ (your father / do)?
B: He's a teacher, but he ________________________ (not/work) right now.