1. Materials and their applications Flashcards
What are the mechanical properties of materials?
- associated with how a material reacts to an external force
- compressive strength
- tensile strength
- bending strength
- shear strength
- torsional strength
- hardness
- toughness
- plasticity
- ductility
- malleability
- elasticity
What is compressive strength?
ability to withstand being crushed or shortened by pushing forces
What is tensile strength?
ability to resist stretching or pulling forces
What is bending strength?
ability to resist forces that may bend the material
What is shear strength?
ability to resist sliding forces on a parallel plane
What is torsional strength?
ability to withstand twisting forces from applied torque or torsion
What is hardness?
ability to resist abrasive wear such as scratching, surface indentation or cutting
What is toughness?
ability to absorb impact force without fracture
What is plasticity?
ability to be permanently deformed and retain the deformed shape
What is ductility?
ability to be drawn out under tension, reducing the cross-sectional area without cracking
(e.g. stretching a material into a wire)
What is malleability?
ability to withstand deformation by compression without cracking
- malleability increases with a rise in temperature
What is elasticity?
ability to be deformed and then return to the original shape when the force is removed
What are the physical properties of materials?
- associated with the actual structure of the material
- density
- fusibility
- magnetism
- corrosion/degradation resistance
What is density?
mass of a material in a standard volume of space
What is fusibility?
ability of material to be fused or converted from a solid to a liquid or molten state, usually by heat
- good fusibility is an essential property for a metal being cast
What is magnetism?
the natural force between objects that causes the material to attract iron or steels
What is corrosion/degradation resistance?
ability of material to withstand environmental attack and decay
What are electrical properties?
- electrical conductor
- electrical insulator
What is an electrical conductor?
allows the flow of electrical current through the material
- a good conductor gives very little resistance to the flow of charge
What is an electrical insulator?
does not allow the flow of electricity through the material
What are thermal properties?
- thermal conductor
- thermal insulator
- thermal expansion
What is a thermal conductor?
- allows transfer of heat energy through the material
- material with higher thermal conductivity allows the transfer of heat to occur quickly across the material
What is a thermal insulator?
prevents the transfer of heat through the material
What is thermal expansion?
the increase in material volume in response to heat input
