Materials Science – Exercises

Excercises for Materials Science

1. Determination of the grain diameter

The mean-linear-intercept-method (BS EN ISO 643:2012) (m.l.i.) is probably the most widely
used measurement of grain size, particularly in metallurgical research. The m.l.i. is measured
from a linear traverse by counting the number of grains which intercept a linear traverse of
length, L. The m.l.i. is given by:
L
̅=
m. l. i. = d
N
Where N is the number of grains intercepted and d the mean grain diameter. The procedure is
easy:
1. A random line is drawn of known length (L)
2. The number of intercepts (N) are then counted
3. If the test line goes through the grain then N is 1
4. If the test line terminates within the grain then N is 0.5
5. If the test line is tangential to a grain boundary then N is 0.5

a. The following is a schematic micrograph that represents the microstructure of a

hypothetical metal. Determine the grain diameter in terms of the mean intercept length.
You should use at least 4 lines.
b. How does grain size affect the properties of metals?
Materials Science – Exercises
Materials Science – Exercises

2. Construction of a binary phase diagram

2.1 Consider the temperature/time relation associated with a two component system AB where
component A has a melting temperature (TM,A) relatively higher than that of B (TM,B). The
profile in the figure below shows the influence of concentration of both components on the
T-t diagram. For a system where the concentration of both components are varied
accordingly, you are required to use the thermal analysis information to construct a binary
phase diagram.

a. Construct a binary phase diagram.

b. Determine the melting temperature, solidification temperature and solidification
range for each cooling curve.
Materials Science – Exercises

2.2 Consider the temperature/time relation associated with a two component system AB where
component B has a melting temperature relatively higher than that of A.

a. Construct a binary phase diagram.

b. Determine the melting temperature, solidification temperature and solidification
range for each cooling curve.
Materials Science – Exercises

3. The Fe-C diagram

a. A steel alloy with 1 wt% carbon is heat treated to a temperature of 1000°C. What are
the equilibrium phases present?
b. What is the maximum solubility of carbon in γ-austenite at 800°C? What is the
maximum solubility of carbon in α-ferrite just below 727°C? What happens if you
exceed the limit?
c. What is the composition for both the γ and L phases for a Fe-C alloy with 2 wt% C at a
temperature of 1300°C?
d. For a 99wt% Fe-1wt%C steel at a temperature just below the eutectoid determine the
compositions of Fe3C and α-ferrite. Determine also the amount of cementite in grams
that forms in 100g of steel.
e. Which effect does C have on the melting temperature of steels?
f. For a high-temperature application, where temperature reaches ~ 1200°C engineers
search for a suitable Fe-C system. Which of the following would be/would not be
suitable and why?
95.7wt% Fe-4.3wt%C, 97wt% Fe-3wt%C, 99wt% Fe-1wt%C
Materials Science – Exercises

4. Stress-strain diagram

The image below shows the tensile stress-strain curve for three
unknown materials (we call them red, blue and green). The
specimen’s ends are gripped and fixed in the machine and its gauge
length L0 = 20 mm (a calibrated distance between two marks on the
specimen surface) is continuously measured until the rupture.
Determine the following properties from this figure for each material,
show them on the graph and explain how you obtained the value:
a. Determine the stiffness of each sample.
b. What is the maximum load (and it’s technical term) that can be applied:
 to avoid permanent deformation of the specimen?
 to avoid the specimen from completely failing?

c. A load of up to 800 MPa is applied on the red specimen, a load of 650 MPa on the blue
one and a load of 280 MPa on the green specimen. Measure the ducitility as percent
elongation of the specimen after the load has been released. How long is each
specimen after deformation?
d. What type of material was measured here? What can you say about the toughness and
strength of the materials?
e. Is this curve an engineering stress-strain curve or true stress-strain curve? Why?
Materials Science – Exercises
Materials Science – Exercises

5. Material Selection

5.1 In technical mechanics and structural analysis, a cantilever beam is a horizontal beam
clamped on one side on which a load is suspended, i.e. a beam that has only one
support. A material nees to be selected for a light, stiff and strong beam with a length l
of 1 m and an edge length b of 10 cm, with the main goal to reduce the cost. A sign
with a weight of 127.42 kg will be attached on the end of the beam, which should not
be excessively deflected by the weight of the sign (gravitational force g = 9.81 m/s2). A
maximum deflection of 0.5 cm is permissible. The equation for the deflection δ of the
cantilever beam when neglecting it’s self-weight is:

a. Define the function, constraints, objectives and free variables.

b. What is the minimum Young’s Modulus the material needs to have? Which
materials would you exclude as they have a too low Young’s Modulus?

c. Consider further the strength of the beam. In order not to break, the failure strength
𝐹
shall be: ≤ 𝜎𝑓 , where A is the cross section of the beam. What is the minimum
𝐴
strength the materials needs to have in order not to break?

d. As you picked already some materials, which have a proper stiffness, try to reduce
the cost of the product by considering also it’s strength.

e. Which are your top 3 materials?

f. What other properties would also be very important when it comes to designing a
cantilever beam?
Materials Science – Exercises

5.2 Consider the following design problem: A component in a machine needs to be

replaced and must have high stiffness, high strength, low thermal expansion, and high
thermal conductivity. The component is also required to be as light as possible and
have a high melting temperature and low price.

a. Using the Ashby plots (but also the help of datasheets, e.g. matweb.com), evaluate
and compare several different materials based on their properties and suitability for
the design problem.
b. Use a chart or table to compare the different materials and their properties, and
highlight the best materials for the specific application.
c. Present your findings and explain the reasoning behind your material selection,
including the importance of each property for the specific application and any trade-
offs or limitations of the materials.
Materials Science – Exercises
Materials Science – Exercises