Hi all. I am a first year engineering student currently studying engineering materials. The aim of the subject " is to aquire a broad knoledge of engineering materials, their properties and uses ". I have found a lot of info on material properties, but I cant find much on the uses of engineering materials. Does anyone know of some sites where this kind of info would be available. I have the text book for the module but it doesnt have much at all on the uses of materials. Any help would be really appreciated Cheers Mick
Hello Mick, Perhaps you should try to define what you mean by an "engineering material" as a starting point. From my standpoint, any material in existence is an "engineering material" because it can be considered to define a design. With this broad definition, finding uses for such should not be too difficult. You should probably stick to your module syllabus for the time being. What is the title of the text book for your module? Regards, Aaron
Hey there, Mick! Well, whaddya know? I'm an Engineering student and I'm ALSO new to the forums. I'm glad to have found another student to talk to! Neat! As far as Engineering materials goes, I'm not entirely sure on that definition myself. Perhaps it's labeled as something different in the classes that I'm taking. However, Aaron's definition seems to make sense. I suppose "engineering materials" could be something that's the "product" or "result' of engineering. I guess the best thing to do would be to ask your professor. I know I badger my professor's with questions all the time. Anyway, welcome to the forums!
Hi Mick Check out: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manufacturing-P ... 0500513759 This is a great book as it relates materials to the manufacturing process. Also http://www.amazon.co.uk/Materials-Inspi ... pd_sim_b_2 Also check out: http://www-materials.eng.cam.ac.uk/mpsite/ www.materials.ac.uk/resources/FE/materialsselection.ppt Of course, as Aaron says, material use is an open ended question as it depends on the type of product, production method, physical requirements, production volume etc.... Hope this helps Alex
The uses of a particular material will vary; it's more about what are the particular requirements for a particular material. For example, high strength may mean alloy steel. Light weight may mean aluminum or magnesium. If it needs to be welded that's a factor... some aluminum alloys (e.g. 6061) are weldable, while others, like 2024, are not. If you need good strength after welding without subsequent heat treat, then alloy steel may be better. If you need good corrosion resistance, aluminum and stainless steel have it over alloy steel, but both cost more. For thermal or electric conductivity, copper alloys, or to a lesser extent, aluminum. For low cost where great strength isn't required, plain carbon steel. Then there are casting alloys (you could have an accurate high strength steel investment casting, a cheap but low precision steel or aluminum sand casting, or a precision (but weak) zinc alloy die casting. It's all about what what your requirements are, and what the acceptable compromises are.
Dana is right. The selection of materials is based mainly on the design requirements and its limits. I would typically consider the following five points during material selection: 1. Mechanical properties - Young’s modulus, yield strength, UTS, Poisson ratio, fatigue limit, etc. 2. Physical Properties - density, boiling point, melting point, freezing points, etc. 3. Electrical Properties - resistivity, permeability, conductivity, etc. 4. Chemical Properties - galvanic compatibility, environmental conditions, etc. 4. Manufacturability - allowable process, machining precision, etc. 5. Cost - lead time, availability, material cost You probably want to check out the following books: 1. Materials Selection Deskbook - http://www.knovel.com/web/portal/browse/display?_EXT_KNOVEL_DISPLAY_bookid=326 2. The Alloy Tree - http://www.woodheadpublishing.com/en/book.aspx?bookID=667
