Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Appendix: A Comparison of
Materials

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Metals

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Metals:
Metallic Bonding: Delocalized gas of electrons
Advantages
relatively high moduli (stiff)
can be made strong by
alloying or working
nominally ductile
relatively high toughness
paramagnetic or
ferromagnetic
good conductors
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Disadvantages
failure by fatigue
most susceptible to
environmental attack
(corrosion and oxidation)

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Metals cont.
Ferrous Metals

Metal
Carbon Steels
Stainless Steels
Cast Irons

Light Alloys

Aluminum Alloys
Magnesium Alloys

Copper Alloys

Titanium Alloys
Copper
Bronze
Brass

Nickel Alloys

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Examples of Application
Utensils, construction, automotive,
transmission towers
Off shore drilling rigs, naval construction,
chemical transport, food preparation,
medical instruments
Cylinders, piston, motor blocks,
construction, wear resistant materials
Aerospace, construction, transport,
packaging, electrical conductors
Aerospace, automotive, sporting
equipment
Aerospace, chemical industry
Electrical conductors
heat exchangers, chemical industry,
maritime industry
Pressure vessels, fittings
Aerospace (turbines), money

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Ceramics and Glasses

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Ceramics and Glasses:

Ionic & Covalent Bonding: Directional & Strong
Advantages

Disadvantages

High moduli (stiff)

High strength
Abrasion resistant
High melting point
Resist corrosion and
oxidation
Transparent
Good electrical insulators

Brittle
Statistical spread in
strength
Strength in compression ~
15x strength in tension
Notch sensitive

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More Difficult to Design With

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Ceramics & Glasses cont.

Ceramics
Bulk Ceramics
Hydrated Ceramics
(cement, plaster)

Ceramic Powders

Industrial Ceramics
Glasses

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Examples of Application
Construction

Rocks

Construction

Fired Ceramics
(bricks, pottey)
Fibres (glass,
carbon)

Construction, electrical insulators, hygienic

applications, houshold
Reinforcements in polymer composites

Particles
(alumina, silicon
carbide, magnesia)

Reinforcements in polymer and metal

composites

Abrasive Particles
Alumina, Silicon
Nitride, Silicon
Carbide

Cutting wheels, polishing cloths

High temperature furnaces, heat sheilds
Windows, food preparation

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Polymers & Elastomers

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Polymers and Elastomers

Secondary & Covalent Bonding: Anisotropic
Advantages
Can have high strength
High elastic deformation
(flexible)
low coefficient of friction
corrosion resistant
Easy to form
can be coloured

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Disadvantages
Creep at rm. temp.
Properties change a
great deal with
temperature
Low melting points
Low moduli
difficult to recycle

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Polymers and Elastomers cont.

Thermoplastics

Thermosets

Elastomers

Foams

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Polymers
Acrylobutadiene
styrene (ABS)
Acrylics
Cellulose Acetate
Polyamide (Nylons)
Polycarbonates
Polyether ether
ketone (PEEK)
Polyvinylechloride
(PVC)
Epoxy
Phenols
Polyesters
Polyamides
Silicone

Examples of Application
Clothing, household appliances
Clothing
Overhead transparencies
Clothing, strong fabrics
Windows, food storage
Microwave oven dishes,
Credit cards, plumbing, window sashes
Glue, connectors, molding
Electrical components
Fabrics
Integrated circuit supports
Electrical applications, structural
applications (below 200oC)
Tires, joints
Tires

Butyl
Polyethylene
Chloride
Ethyl vinyl acetate
Polyurethane
Flexible Foams

Medical equipment
shock absorbers
Automotive interiors

Rigid Foams

Shock absorbers, thermal insulators

Elastomeric Foams

Thermal or acoustic insulators

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Composites

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Composites:
Various Bonding
Advantages
Combine attractive
qualities of other
materials
Engineer properties to
demand
Light
Stiff
Strong
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Disadvantages
Expensive
Difficult to join
Often difficult to
fabricate

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Composites cont.
Composites
Polymer Matrix
Thermoplastic
Matrix

Metal Matrix

Ceramic Matrix

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Examples of Application
Mechanical components, protection
screens

Thermoset Matrix

Aerospace, spoting equipment

Elastomer Matrix

Tires

Aluminum Matrix

Aerospace, sporting equipment, electronic

packaging

Titanium Matrix

Aerospace turbines

Copper Matrix
Alumina Matrix

High strength electrical conductors

High temperature mechanical applications

Cermets

Cutting tools, polishing materials

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Natural Materials

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Natural Materials:
Bonding at different levels
Advantages
Highly Recyclable
Often high strength
Variety of physical and
mechanical properties

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Disadvantages
Large variability in
properties
difficult to control
Renewable?

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Summary & Review

Take a broad initial view of the material
kingdom examining 6 basic families
As designers we need to familiarize
ourselves with the range of properties
available from each class
Each class of material has advantages
and disadvantages
See material properties reflected in their
applications
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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Characterizing Materials: available

resources

Optical Metallography
Cut samples into
sections ~ 1 cm x 1 cm
x 1 cm
Mount in thermoset
(e.g. bakelite)
Mechanically grind and
polish to give mirror
surface
Use an acid/base to
etch the sample
surface to reveal
internal structure
(microstructure),
coatings, porosity
Reference:
Metals
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Handbook vol. 8

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Hardness Testing:
Push diamond pyramid /
hardened steel ball into
surface of the sample
H ~ 3f
Simple method for deducing
strength of a component
Can indicate type of material,
type of heat treatment,
surface treatment, etc.
Gives information on yield
strength, wear resistance,
fracture strength
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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Scanning Electron Microscopy/

Energy Dispersive X-Ray
(SEM-EDX) Analysis
SEM operates in a similar
manner to optical microscopy
light vs. electrons
Better depth of field, higher
resolution, sensitive to composition
EDX: incident electrons interact
with atoms near surface of sample
collisions result in ejection of a)
electrons and b) x-rays from
sample
X-rays characteristic of atoms
within the sample
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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Polymer Identification
ResinKit available
Based on simple
qualitative
questionnaire
Requires engineering
judgement

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Metals & Materials, MMAT 280

Miscellaneous Equipment
Thermocouples
Tachometer
Oscilloscope
Multimeter
Lightmeter
General
Tools/Laboratory
Equipment

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