Engineering
An Easy Guide to Materials Science
Explore a Crucial Aspect of Engineering
Many of you may have already drifted away after seeing the title. Science of materials, isn’t that a little too dry? I know a few of you are incredibly interested in this domain. A few minutes of reading will not hurt anyone here, so go on!
Materials Science and Engineering is an industrial major that deals with designing and developing novel materials. Engineers are expected to learn material science for a myriad of purposes.
Introduction to Materials Science
Materials science is the study of material characteristics. It classifies materials based on varying attributes. Consider a pair of jackets, one made of leather and the other of denim; both of these items can only be manufactured with materials whose characteristics are appropriate for their intended use. Elemental composition, configuration, bonding, impurities, surface morphology, scale parameter, and other features distinguish materials.
So how do I choose my material?
For this, we need to understand what ‘material’ exactly is! Material is a term used by engineers to describe structural materials utilised to create various engineering products.
One of the most general engineering material categorisations is whether it is metallic or non-metallic.
Metallic Materials
Metallic materials are inorganic compounds made up of metals, generally mixtures of metals like iron, titanium, aluminium, gold, etc. Their strong thermal and electrical conductivities distinguish them, and they are usually malleable and ductile and may be shaped into valuables. In comparison to ceramic or polymer materials, metallic materials offer good tensile strength, fatigue strength, ductility, toughness, and the strength scattering is relatively modest. As a result, metals are frequently employed in medical implants.
Non-metallic Materials
Polymers
They are long molecular chains comprising numerous repeating units of ‘monomers’ and are generally referred to as plastics. They are bad electrical and thermal conductors. They are simple to mould into various desired forms. Nylon, Teflon, epoxy, polyethene, and other materials are examples of polymers.
Polymer scientists develop polymers with varying degrees of hardness, elasticity, softening temperature, water solubility, and biodegradability. They’ve developed polymeric materials that are as strong as steel but are lighter and highly resistant to corrosion.
Ceramics
They are complex compounds made up of both metallic and non-metallic components. They are excellent for insulative applications because of their high-temperature strength and low thermal conductivity. Ceramics, which are usually hard and chemically inert, can be created or densified using heat.
Ceramics are found everywhere. Tiles, brickwork, plates, glassware, and lavatories all fall within this group of materials.
Composites
Composite materials are prepared by mixing two or more materials with distinct qualities that do not disintegrate or blend together. Composites can be found in nature. Long cellulose fibres are bound together by a compound called lignin found in tree bark, making it a composite. Concrete, mud bricks, and fibreglass are among the examples of composites.
Engineers have various options when it comes to determining the qualities of the final composite throughout the production process. Composite materials, which necessitate lightweight and durable materials, are what propel modern aircraft.
Metallurgy and its Branches
Metallurgy is an essential topic of metal research and technology. Metallurgy is the application of science to manufacturing metals and metallic engineering materials used in consumer and industrial products. The three primary fields are process metallurgy, physical metallurgy, and mechanical metallurgy.
Process Metallurgy
The science of extracting metals from ores is known as process metallurgy. Mining, extraction, refinement, alloying, and the earliest step of manufacture are all included.
Physical Metallurgy
Physical metallurgy is concerned with problem resolution, such as the creation of metallic alloys for various industrial and building applications. Metallography, thermal treatment, and mechanical testing are all part of it.
Mechanical Metallurgy
It employs mechanics and metallurgy concepts to rationalise, forecast, and alter the behaviour of metals under load. This field encompasses all mechanical operations that change the shape of metals to turn them into final products, such as rolling, drawing, shaping, and forming.
Structure of Materials
Materials’ internal structure is investigated at several levels, including crystalline, atomic, substructure, and microstructure. Almost everything about a material — its qualities, prospective uses, and performance within those functions — is determined by its structure or the placement of its internal components. The physical amplification and resolution help investigate the internal structure changes depending on the degree. Spectroscopic methods are used to analyse atomic structure, whereas optical microscopes with greater magnification are employed to examine microstructure.
A crystalline structure is one where the lattice repeats and touches one another.
Examples: Sodium chloride or table salt, sucrose or sugar crystals.
We refer to lattice as amorphous when it has a randomised arrangement.
Examples: Rubber and Glass
Application of Materials Science
Materials Science and Engineering has a wide spectrum of uses. Lithography, a materials science tool, is used in the production of microscopic computer chips. There are bio-materials which are being researched to enhance the quality of dental restorations and joint replacements, as well as other materials that will come in contact with or be lodged in the body. According to thermodynamics, the higher the temperature, the more efficient the conversion of heat to work is. As a result, developing materials for combustion chambers, pistons, valves, rotors, and turbine blades that can perform at ever-higher operating temperatures is crucial.
The tale of the automotive industry, in particular, is intriguing; the demand for lighter vehicles, lower emissions, and better fuel efficiency have resulted in fierce rivalry among aluminium, plastics, and steel businesses for market share in the massive markets involved. Materials scientists play a critical role in this conflict since the design and viability of future autos will be determined by their attempts to produce better materials.
Scope of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering is a broad area with several career options for recent graduates. Metal and metal extraction firms are good places for metallurgical engineers to work. They can also serve at universities and colleges as professors. Every industry and business that manufactures, purchases, trades, refines or produces metals or industrial machinery needs metallurgical engineers. Apart from industry occupations, one can work as a research scholar, associate, or scientist in a variety of labs and institutions all over the world.
Why should we, as engineers, be focused on materials science?
Every discipline of science that you can think of is touched by materials science. For example, particular materials are required for each sort of implant in the medical industry. Engineers create, manufacture, and oversee goods and systems.
A spacecraft is designed by an aeronautical engineer. An industrial engineer controls the ergonomics of the office area. A civil engineer constructs the sky-high condominium we reside in. As all of these things require materials, an engineer should be well-versed in materials science, their internal structure, and their qualities so that they can pick out the best ones for each operation and determine the optimal processing procedure.
Materials science and engineering fuels innovation in everything from aviation to pharmaceuticals, from research to industrial applications. We combine chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology with engineering to tackle world challenges in technologies, community, and the ecosystem, such as information and communications technology, energy and climate, bioengineering, and smart manufacturing.
As a result, engineers of all disciplines must have a fundamental understanding of materials science in order to do their job effectively and achieve technological advancements.
