Kolej Matrikulasi Kejuruteraan Johor

EA 015 | EM 015 / EE 015/ EB 015

5.2 NON-METALLIC
MATERIAL
Topic 5 : Engineering Material
Learning Outcome :
a)Define non-metallic material:
Describe the characteristics of non-metallic materials:
electrical conductivity;
heat conductivity; and
melting point.

Explain the following non-metallic materials:

timber;
polymer;
ceramic;
semiconductor; and
concrete.

b) Differentiate the characteristic of the various type of non-metallic

materials
a) Definition of non METALLIC
MATERIAL
Definition :
Non-metals are substances that do not conduct heat
or electricity.

Example of non-metallic material

Timber
Polymer
Ceramic
Semiconductor; and
Concrete
characteristic OF NON METALLIC MATERIAL
Characteristic such as electrical conductivity, heat conductivity and
melting point for a non metallic material are as below :

Electrical conductivity
Definition : The ability for a material to conduct electricity
characteristic OF NON METALLIC MATERIAL
Heat conductivity
Definition : The ability of a material to transfer or conduct heat.
characteristic OF NON METALLIC MATERIAL
Melting point
Definition : The temperature at which a solid changes into a liquid.
 11
timber
1) timber
Timber denotes wood which is suitable for building or carpentry and for
various engineering and other purposes.

Wood contains natural polymers such as lignin, cellulose, and various

hemi- celluloses but has very different properties from the synthetic
polymers with which it is most often combined.

Uses : Furniture, permanent and temporary structure; such as struts and

formwork and finishing material.
Timber is the general name for wood there are three main types;
Soft Wood
Pine, Cedar, Damarminyak and Fir

Hard Wood:
Heavy - Cengal, Balau, Merbau and Resak
Medium - Keruing, Kapur and Tualang
Light – Jelutong, Nyatuh, Meranti and Kayu Getah

Manufactured Boards (Engineered Wood)

Sterling Board, Chipboard, Plywood, Hardboard and
Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
Characteristic of Timber

Simplicity in fabrication
Lightness
Reusability
Insulation from heat, sound & electricity
Aesthetically pleasing appearance
Resistance to oxidation, acid attack & salt
Attack and salt water
Environmental compatibility
2
2polymer
2) polymer
Polymer is a substance containing high-molecular- weight molecules,
consisting of repeating unit which are bond to each other.

Widely used in applications where their low density, high corrosion

resistance, electrical insulation and ease of manufacturing into
complex shapes presented advantages and where mechanical
strength was of secondary importance.

A structural polymers can be made into load-bearing components and

structures at least for applications in which temperature is moderately
high.
2) polymer
Example below shows a polymerisation process of Polyethylene.
Polyethylene is made by 'joining' many ethylene molecules
together.
Classification of Polymer
There are two types of polymers: synthetic and natural.
Synthetic Polymers are polymer that manufactured and called
plastics. Examples : nylon, polyester, teflon, epoxy, thermoplastics
and thermosetting.
Natural Polymers occur in nature and can be extracted. Examples :
silk, wool, wood, DNA, cellulose and proteins.

Synthetic polymer Natural polymer

Basic characteristic of polymer
Low density
High corrosion resistance
Electrical insulation
Ease of manufacturing
Low coefficient of friction
Excellent surface finishing
Economical
Poor tensile strength
Low mechanical properties
Poor temperature resistance
3
3ceramic
3) Ceramic
Ceramics are solid compounds that may consist of metallic or
nonmetallic elements.
Example -Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3). Alumina
The primary classifications of ceramics include glasses, cements,
bricks, clay products, refractories, and abrasives.
Exception of glasses, ceramics usually cannot be reshaped easily
To shape a ceramic, a mixture of ceramic powders, water, and binder
materials is molded into the desired dimensions to form a temporary
shape.
Then dried to remove water and heated to allow the binder materials
to oxidize, leaving the ceramic powder particles to bond to each
other during the high temperature baking.
Characteristic of ceramic
Lower fracture toughness than metals.
Excellent corrosion and wear resistance
High melting temperature and high stiffness
Low electrical and thermal conductivity.
Very brittle
semi-
4
4
conductor
Semiconductor
Semiconductors are materials whose electrical properties lie
between Conductor and Insulator.
Semiconductor behaves like conductor at higher tempertature . In
room temperature semiconductor can can only conduct limited
electricity.
Semiconductor behaves like insulator at absolute temperature – zero
kelvin (0 K) = -273.15 °C.
There are two basic groups or classifications that can be used to
define the different semiconductor types:
Intrinsic material
Extrinsic material
Intrinsic semiconductor

It is a pure semiconductor without any significant dopant species

present.

Intrinsic semiconductor, also called an undoped semiconductor or

i-type.

Examples of intrinsic semiconductor are : Silicon (Si), Germanium (Ge),

and Gallium Arsenide
Intrinsic semiconductor
Figure shows a silicon crystal
atom structure.
The center atom shares an
electron with each of the four
surrounding atoms, creating a
covalent bond with each
other.
Thus surrounding atoms are
in turn bonded to the other
atoms.
Extrinsic semiconductor
The conductivities of intrinsic can be increased with the addition of impurities.
This process is called doping.
The silicon doped with extra electrons (Pentavalent Atoms e.g. Antimony,
Phosphorus, Or Arsenic) is called an “n type” semiconductor.
“N” is for negative which is the charge of an electron.

Majority carriers : Electrons

Minority carriers : Holes
Extrinsic semiconductor
Silicon doped with material missing electrons (Trivalent Atoms e.g. Boron,
Gallium, Indium) that produce locations called holes is called “p type”
semiconductor.
“P” is for positive, which is the charge of a hole.

Majority carriers : Holes

Minority carriers : Electrons
5
concrete
5
5) concrete
Is a mixture of cement, water, aggregates, and in some cases,
admixtures.
The cement and water form a paste that hardens thus bonds the
aggregates together
Concrete is a versatile construction material, adaptable to a wide
variety of agricultural and residential uses.
Ratio of concrete ingredients
The ingredients in concrete is measured by Ratio Of Weight or by Ratio Of
Volume ;
CEMENT : FINE AGGREGATE : COARSE AGGREGATE
Example - 1 : 2 : 4, 1 : 3 : 6, 1 : 1.5 : 3, 1 : 4 : 8

Water in concrete mixture is measured by using the water–cement ratio that

is ratio of the weight of water to the weight of cement used in a concrete
mix.
WEIGHT OF WATER : WEIGHT OF CEMENT
Example - 1 : 2

A lower water-cement ratio leads to higher strength and durability, but may
make the mix more difficult to place.
Ratio of concrete
ingredients
Characteristic of concrete
Workability (consistency, manoeuvrability and
compactibility)
Coefficient thermal expansion
Modulus of Elasticity
Drying shrinkage
Durability
High compressive strength
Low coefficient of thermal expansion
Shrinks as it matures