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Synthesis is the process by which materials are made from naturally occurring
or other chemicals.
Processing means different ways for shaping materials into useful components
or changing their properties.
Classification of Materials
- Glass-ceramics are used for large telescopes (i.e., Zerodur for the Chandra
and Hubble telescopes)
Polymers (plastics)
Semiconductors
Composite Materials
– used for making semiconductor detectors and lasers for fiber optic
communication
- Amorphous silicon is used to make solar cells and
photovoltaic modules
- Polymers are used to make liquid crystal displays
(LCDs)
Smart Materials
- Materials that respond to an external stimulus, such as change in
temperature, applied stress, or change in humidity and the
environmental conditions
- Examples are Peltier element, Piezoelectric components,
photochromic glasses, and dimming mirrors
Corrosion
Most metals and polymers react with oxygen or other gases,
particularly at elevated temperatures.
Metals and ceramics may disintegrate, and polymers and non-oxide
ceramics may oxidize. Materials also are attacked by corrosive
liquids, leading to premature failure.
In space applications, we may have to consider the effect of
radiation.
Fatigue
When we load and unload the material thousands of times, even at low
loads, small cracks may begin to develop, and materials fail as these
cracks grow.
In designing load-bearing components, the possibility of fatigue
must be accounted for.
Strain Rate
Materials Design and Selection
Density
- is mass per unit volume of a material, usually expressed in units
of g/cm3 or lb/in.3
Strength-to-weight ratio
- is the strength of a material divided by its density; materials
with a high strength- to-weight ratio are strong but lightweight.