Introduction to Structural

Materials
Prof Prashant P Date
F13, 1st Floor Mech Engg.
Phone 7511; Email : ppdate@iitb.ac.in
Why A course on Structural Materials
• Mechanical Engineers work with materials
• Most products involve multiple materials
• Materials are the means of obtaining the desired properties of the product
• Manufacturing processes are the means of processing the material to the
desired properties
• Manufacturing process = geometry of the process (tool geometry,
configuration of workpiece relative to the tool & direction of motion of the
tool relative to the workpiece), temperature, speed of performing the
process
• All processing steps affect the constitution of the material and hence its
properties
• The product behaviour in service is the net outcome of the material, the
manufacturing process, and design of the product. The material properties
are an outcome of these.
Objective of the Course
• Develop a basic understanding and a broad overview of commonly used
engineering materials
• Understand applications of naturally occurring as well as artificial
materials
• Understand the tools & techniques to assess the effect of processing on
the material
• Understand how the desired properties are induced during processing
• Understand the correlation between design, material, process and the
properties induced into the product
• Be able to interact with metallurgists and materials scientists
What this course is NOT about
• Developing any kind of expertise in Metallurgical Engineering and
Materials Science
• In depth studies on any single aspect of materials.
 The Course Content
1. Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering
1.1. The composition- processing- microstructure- properties- performance pyramid
1.2. The hierarchy of microstructures
1.3. Metals and alloys, ceramics, polymers and composites
2. Atomic scale structure in solids
2.1. Crystalline and amorphous phases
2.2. Crystal structure, structural defects, texture (as applicable to metals, ceramics and polymers)
2.3. Atomistic origin of properties and anisotropy
2.3.1. Elastic properties
2.3.2. Plastic properties (slip and twinning)
2.3.3. Strengthening and softening mechanisms
Quiz 1
3. Micro scale structure in solids
3.1. Thermodynamic equilibrium structures: Phase diagrams and phase transformations
3.2. Development of structure due to solidification
3.3. Development of structure due to thermo-mechanical working 3.4. Thermo-mechanical simulator for high temperature mechanical behaviour,
property anisotropy
Midsem
4. Microstructure-Properties-Performance linkage:
Contents Continued
4.1. Tensile and compression properties
4.2. Hardness
4.3. Fracture toughness
4.4. Fatigue
4.5. Creep
4.6. Corrosion

5. Important engineering Materials: In this section, various materials will be taught describing the broad spectrum in each class and principles
of material development (structure-property relations) relevant to the particular class
5.1. Steels: 5.1.1. Banana diagram and broad classification 5.1.2. Various constituent phases 5.1.3. Example of one advanced steel
5.2. Aluminium alloys: 5.2.1. Cast and wrought alloys 5.2.2. Example of Al-Si cast alloy with grain refiners and modifiers 5.3. Cu-, Ti- Ni based
alloys 5.4. Fibre reinforced plastic composites: GFRP and CFRP
Quiz 2
6. Experimental and modelling advances in Materials Science
6.1. Microstructural and other analytical characterisation: optical, SEM/ EBSD, TEM, 3DCT, DSC
6.2. Processing modelling: principles, software tools, examples (solidification, deformation)
6.3. Computational materials science: principles, software tools, examples, ending with ICME

End Sem
 Materials in Daily use – few Examples
• Tooth brush : polymer/natural fibre, Tooth paste, Toothpaste Tube – Polymer.
• Water tap, water – Polymer, iron, steel, brass
• Wash Basin - Ceramic
• Tea Cup – ceramic, glass, polymer, paper, stainless steel, brass
• Spoon – Stainless steel, ceramic, polymer, wood / natural fibre,
• Breakfast bowl – Ceramic, polymer, glass, wood/natural fibre
• Plate - Ceramic, polymer, glass, stainless steel, wood/natural fibre
• Pan (Tawa) – Earthern, Metal often coated with Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene
(PTFE)
• Bucket – Metal, Polymer
Natural Materials
Applications of Elements in the Periodic Table
Electronegativities of different elements
 Engineering Structural Materials

• With the abundance of new structural materials, industrial designers

and engineers are faced with an ever-growing number of choices for
use in products.
Typically, engineers use three major criteria to select materials:
• Desired properties, such as mechanical strength, modulus, plastic
flow resistance, fatigue resistance,damage tolerance, corrosion
resistance, characteristics under electrical influences, behavior in
fire, andenvironmental impact (toxicity and pollution);
• Manufacturing technology available to work with a material, such as
casting, machining, forming, etc.; and
• Economic viability, including the cost of the material (both initial and
over its life cycle), the cost of component production, the availability
of the material,and the number of supply sources.
 Sectors of development : Aerospace and Automotive
• High air speeds Enhanced frictional Heating Higher skin
temperature
• Aircraft skin materials : Fabric and Wood Aluminium alloys
Titanium alloys Polymer Matrix Composites

New civilian aircraft systems require innovative materials solutions.

Naturally Occurring Structural materials -
Metals
Application of Metallic Materials
• Transportation (Automobile, Aerospace, Marine transport applications,
Railways, Coaches, wagons, containers)
• Boilers and Power Generation, Power Distribution Equipment
• Furniture (Household, Hospital)
• Appliances (Microwave ovens, gas stoves, refrigerator, washing
machines, dish washers, Geysers, fans etc.)
• Electrical and Electronic equipment (Computers, motors, generators,
mobile phones etc.)
• Biocompatible implants, surgical instruments
Strength to weight ratios of alloys
Metallic materials in Automobile industry
Front floor panel with Gear Box in the Tunnel
Ceramics
• They are compounds between metallic and non-metallic elements
• Oxides, Nitrides and Carbides – Al Oxide, Silicon dioxide (Silica) Titanium
Nitride, Tungsten carbide, Titanium Carbide, Aluminium Nitride,
Chromium Nitride
• Porcelain, Cement, Glass
• Stiff and strong materials – comparable with metals; Extremely hard
• Brittle – lack ductility, cannot withstand impact, break easily
• Resistant to high temperatures, corrosive environment, electrically
resistant, thermal insulators. High specific heat
• Ceramics can be superconducting too !
• Ceramics like Ferrites have magnetic properties
Temperature capability of structural materials
Material Selection criteria

1. Operational environment - atmosphere,

temperature, applied stress, fatigue, exposure
2. Time predictable excursions beyond the usual,
including mechanical impact or rapid
heating/cooling
3. design - ceramic materials are relatively intolerant of
abrupt changes in cross-section such as notches,
holes and corners
4. joining - the role of the joint, its operational
conditions and performance requirements and the
joining techniques suitable for manufacture
5. cost - as with all materials selection and component
design questions, the cost and availability of the raw
materials and all necessary fabrication techniques
must be considered in the light of their suitability to
provide a component with the required
performance profile at a viable cost
Some Material properties
Ceramics
Ceramics are hard, non-combustible and inert. Thus they can be used in high
temperature, corrosive and tribological applications.
Alumina & Silicon Nitride are used in Electronic devices, Aerospace components and
cutting tools.
They are used as superconductors
They have abilities like
retention of properties at high temperature
low coefficient of friction (particularly at high loads and low levels of lubrication)
low coefficient of expansion
corrosion resistance
thermal insulation
electrical insulation
Substrates for electronic
low density Ceramic turbochargers devices
Typical Properties of Ceramics
Joining Ceramics
 Composites
• A combination of two or more materials from among metals, ceramics and
polymers – Metal Matrix composites (MMC), Ceramic Matrix Composites
(CMC), Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastics (CFRP), Concrete, Fibre glass – Glass
Fibre Reinforced Plastics (GFRP) – Plastic = epoxy / polyester
• Display a combination of properties that cannot be displayed by any single
material
• Combine strengths of the individual materials
• Naturally occurring Composites : Wood, bone
• Glass fibres – strong, stiff, brittle; Polymer – ductile, weak, flexible.
• GFRP = relatively stiff, strong, flexible and ductile
• CFRP – Stronger and stiffer than GFRPs – Sporting equipment – tennis
racquets, golf clubs, ski boards etc.), bicycles
 Weaknesses
Composites

Strengths
Schematic representation of a 312 FRP-metal sandwich laminate [
Composites in Aerospace Structures
Composites in Aerospace
Composites in Space
Automotive applications of composites
FRP Materials
Types of Composites
Composites in Sports Equipment
Advanced materials

• Materials for high tech applications : Spacecraft, aircraft, electronic

equipment, fibre optics, computers
• Traditional materials with enhanced properties
• Smart materials, nano engineered materials – LCD displays, magnetic
storage, lasers, ICs
Multi Material Designs

Strength of materials at high temperatures

X-33 Plane prototype

• Shape-memory alloys have the capability to reversibly change
shape with changes in temperature.
• When built of aluminum instead of steel, the weight of automotive
structures can be cut almost in half.
• The future will see a wide variety of new and improved structural
materials.
 Why the Growth in Structural Materials ?
• Special requirements have driven innovation in both materials and
design
• Demand for new products with unique performance requirements,
• Demand for improved performance or extended life of existing
products,
• The availability of new manufacturing methods
• Cost reduction requirements, and
• International competition
Which is the best material ?
• Application : Beverage containers for carbonated beverages
• Attributes :
• Adequate strength to withstand pressure of CO2, being dropped from
a height; Prevent escape of CO2
• non toxic, non-reacting with the contents,
• recyclable,
• if transparent, retain optical clarity,
• low cost – both material and manufacturing,
• Aesthetic shape of container, amenability to colouring etc.
Summary
• Structural Materials are needed to meet challenging service
conditions
• Naturally occurring metals and alloys are not enough to meet these
challenges
• Artificial structural materials like polymers and composites bridge the
gap.
• The source of mechanical properties can be examined at various
length scales, starting with a macro structure to a microstructure to
atomic level structures.
Questions ?