Alloying elements: elements intentionally added to improve certain

properties .
e.g.
• Chromium is added to steel to improve corrosion resistance (
stainless steel).
• Tungsten, cobalt and Vanadium are added to steel to improve high
temperature mechanical properties. ( those elements form carbides
that stabilize the mechanical properties at high temperatures.)

Impurities: elements that may have harmful effects such as Sulphur

and phosphorous in steel alloys.
Most polymers are organic in nature and many organic materials are hydrocarbons.

General characteristics:
• Low electrical and thermal conductivity
• Relatively low strength
• Not suitable for high temperature applications.
The polymerization process depend on creating reaction
sites on this chemically stable form, by subjecting the
ethylene to the appropriate pressure, temperature, and
adding a catalyst R
 Addition (Chain) Polymerization

– Initiation

– Propagation

– Termination

7 7
Types of Polymers:
1. Thermoplastic polymers:
 Relatively soft and ductile.
 Recyclable.
 The chains are packed by secondary bonding.
1. Thermo-set polymers:
 Hard and brittle.
 Non-recyclable.
 Cross links between chains
1. Elastomers:
 Very high elastic deformation.
 Lightly cross linked.
 Mechanical Properties
• i.e. stress-strain behavior of polymers
brittle polymer

FS of polymer ca. 10% that of metals

plastic
elastomer
elastic modulus
– less than metal

Adapted from Fig. 15.1,

Strains – deformations > 1000% possible Callister 7e.

(for metals, maximum strain ca. 10% or less)

9 9
Composites:
Made from two or more materials to achieve certain properties.
Strength
•To achieve new materials with high strength to weight ratio 
Weight

Example: Machining tools like Cermets which requires: strength, hardness,

temperature resistance, toughness, thermal conductivity. You can achieve these
properties by combining metals with ceramics.
Cermets:
Wc particles embedded in a metallic matrix (Ni, Co)
 Performance
Materials Engineering
Designing the structure to achieve specific
properties of materials.

Structure Processing

• Processing
Properties • Structure

Materials Science • Properties

Investigating the relationship between structure and • Performance
properties of materials.
The Materials Selection Process
1. Pick Application Determine required Properties
Properties: mechanical, electrical, thermal,
magnetic, optical, deteriorative.

2. Properties Identify candidate Material(s)

Material: structure, composition.

3. Material Identify required Processing

Processing: changes structure and overall shape
ex: casting, sintering, vapor deposition, doping
forming, joining, annealing.

12
Structure, Processing, & Properties
• Properties depend on structure
ex: hardness vs structure of steel

(d)
600

Hardness (BHN)
30 μm
500 (c)
Data obtained from Figs. 12.31(a) and
12.32 with 4 wt% C composition, and from
400 (b) Fig. 17.8, Callister & Rethwisch 9e.
(a) Micrographs adapted from (a) Fig. 12.19;
4 μm
300 (b) Fig. 11.29; (c) Fig. 12.33; and (d) Fig.
12.21, Callister & Rethwisch 9e. (Figures
30 μm 12.19, 12.21, & 12.33 copyright 1971 by United
200 30 μm States Steel Corporation. Figure 9.30 courtesy
of Republic Steel Corporation.)

100
0.01 0.1 1 10 100 1000
Cooling Rate (ºC/s)
• Processing can change structure
ex: structure vs cooling rate of steel
13
Units of Length

1 cm*  10–2 m  0.01 m

1 mm  10–3 m  0.001 m
1 micron (m)  10–6 m  0.000001 m
1 nanometer (nm)  10–9 m  0.000000001 m
1 Angstrom (Å)  10–10 m  0.0000000001 m

*nota bene: cm are not typically used.

Multiple Length Scales Critical in Engineering

In Askeland and Phule’s book, from J. Allison and W. Donlon (Ford Motor Company)
 What is Materials Science & Engineering?

• Casting • Extrusion
Processing
• Forging • Calcinating
• Stamping Texturing, Temperature, • Sintering
• Layer-by-layer growth Time, Transformations
(nanotechnology)

Properties
characterization MatSE Physical behavior
Crystal structure Response to environment
Defects
Microstructure
• Mechanical (e.g., stress-strain)
• Thermal
• Microscopy: Optical, transmission • Electrical
electron, scanning tunneling • Magnetic
• X-ray, neutron, e- diffraction • Optical
• Spectroscopy • Corrosive
• Deteriorative characteristics
ELECTRICAL
• Electrical Resistivity of Copper:
6 Fig. 19.8, Callister & Rethwisch 9e.
[Adapted from: J.O. Linde, Ann Physik 5, 219
(1932); and C.A. Wert and R.M. Thomson,
5 Physics of Solids, 2nd edition, McGraw-Hill
Company, New York, 1970.]

Resistivity, ρ
(10-8 Ohm-m)
4
3
2
1
0
-200 -100 0 T (°C)
• Adding “impurity” atoms to Cu increases resistivity.
• Deforming Cu increases resistivity.
17
 THERMAL
• Space Shuttle Tiles: • Thermal Conductivity
-- Silica fiber insulation of Copper:
offers low heat conduction. -- It decreases when
Chapter-opening you add zinc!
photograph, Chapter 17,
Callister & Rethwisch 3e.

Thermal Conductivity
(Courtesy of Lockheed 400
Missiles and Space
Company, Inc.)
300

(W/m-K)
200

100
0
0 10 20 30 40
Composition (wt% Zinc)
Fig. 19.4W, Callister 6e. Fig. 20.4, Callister & Rethwisch 9e.
(Courtesy of Lockheed [Adapted from Metals Handbook: Properties
Aerospace Ceramics and Selection: Nonferrous alloys and Pure
Systems, Sunnyvale, CA) Metals, Vol. 2, 9th ed., H. Baker, (Managing
(Note: "W" denotes fig. is on Editor), ASM International, 1979, p. 315.]
CD-ROM.)

100 μm 18
MAGNETIC
• Magnetic Storage: • Magnetic Permeability
-- Recording medium vs. Composition:
is magnetized by -- Adding 3 atomic % Si
recording head. makes Fe a better
recording medium!

Fe+3%Si

Magnetization
Fe

Magnetic Field
Adapted from C.R. Barrett, W.D. Nix, and
A.S. Tetelman, The Principles of Engineering
Fig. 21.23, Callister & Rethwisch 9e. Materials, Fig. 1-7(a), p. 9, 1973.
(Courtesy of HGST, a Western Digital Company.) Electronically reproduced by permission of
Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River,
New Jersey.

19
OPTICAL
• Transmittance:
-- Aluminum oxide may be transparent, translucent, or
opaque depending on the material’s structure (i.e.,
single crystal vs. polycrystal, and degree of porosity).
polycrystal: polycrystal:
single crystal no porosity some porosity

Fig. 1.2, Callister &

Rethwisch 9e.
(Specimen preparation,
P.A. Lessing)

20
DETERIORATIVE
• Stress & Saltwater... • Heat treatment: slows
-- causes cracks! crack speed in salt water!

10-8 “as-is”

crack speed (m/s)

“held at
160°C for 1 hr
before testing”
Alloy 7178 tested in
10-10
saturated aqueous NaCl
solution at 23°C

increasing load
Fig. 18.21, Callister & Rethwisch 9e.
(from Marine Corrosion, Causes, and Prevention,
John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1975.) Adapted from Fig. 11.20(b), R.W. Hertzberg, "Deformation and
Fracture Mechanics of Engineering Materials" (4th ed.), p. 505, John
Wiley and Sons, 1996. (Original source: Markus O. Speidel, Brown
Boveri Co.)

21