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BASIC ENGINEERING
MATERIAL ED8E 11 | | |
 Metallic Materials
Engineers require a large range of materials to fulfill the requirement and performance of designs. These
materials may be subjected to extremes of conditions so that no one material is adequate for all purposes.
Everything that can be seen, everything that can be touched or used is a material. All are made
up of numerous
atoms arranged and bonded in specific ways to create materials as they are known. Click
here
for further
information on atomic arrangements (bonding). These arrangements of atoms and bonds are the fundamental
basis of the properties of materials, properties which can be modified, within limitations, to enable
the material
to perform a wider range of duties.
Consider the following example:
The most common metallic materials in engineering are "STEELS". There are many types of steels
which can be
broken down to two types:
Alloy Steels and Plain Carbon steels
Plain carbon steels can be broken down further to three categories:
Low Carbon Steel (LCS)
Medium Carbon Steel (MCS)
High Carbon Steel (HCS)
Click
here
for a fact sheet on metals. This fact sheet will give you a list of materials stating its
special features
and some of their industrial uses
From this selection an engineer who requires a plain carbon steel which can be cold formed into a certain
shape
e.g. a car body panel, would select a low carbon steel, as this material has the desired property i.e.
Ductility
.
An engineer who requires plain carbon steel which can be used to cut other materials, including steel,
e.g. a cold
chisel, would select a medium carbon steel as this can have the desired property,
Hardness
It is therefore only sensible, that before we start talking about the many different types of materials
available
and the reasons for their selection to produce a particular component, that an explanation of the various
properties should be given, .i.e. Ductility, hardness etc. to got straight to properties click
here
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