Designer materials Flashcards
Hooke’s Law
Extension is proportional to the force applied. F=ke, where k is the stiffness/spring constant. Works for metal wires and springs, NOT rubber.
Limits of Hooke’s Law
Only works up until the elastic limit - here, force (y) against extension (x) curves (was a straight, linear relationship).
Elastic limit
Beyond the elastic limit, Hooke’s law is no longer obeyed and the material will not return to its original shape.
Elastic deformation
Material returns to original shape after force is removed. Atoms have been moved small distances from their equilibrium position, and return after force is removed.
Plastic deformation
Material is permanently deformed. Atoms in material move relative to one another, and don’t return to original position.
Tensile/Compressive
Tensile: stretching forces, positive
Compressive: squashing forces, negative
Tensile stress, sigma=
F/A (force/area)
Tensile strain, funny e thing=
e/l (extension/original length). Change in length of material.
Breaking stress
A stress big enough to break the material
Shape of stress strain graph (general)
- from origin
- straight line for a bit
- starts to bend
- reaches peak, then falls back down
- ends, as material breaks
Fracture stress
Stress on a stress strain graph where the material breaks
UTS
Ultimate tensile stress. The maximum amount of stress a material can withstand
Young modulus, E=
Stress/strain. Up until limit of proportionality (where stress strain graph starts to curve). Measured in N/m^2
Measuring young modulus
Clamp a wire to a bench, set up a marker, hang some weights off it. Measure original length of wire (from marker to clamped end). Add weights, recording extension. At end, measure diameter of wire with micrometer, so can calculate cross sectional area.
Structure of metals
- crystalline/polycrysalline
- Sea of free electrons surrounding positive ions
- Metallic bond between ions and free electrons
Properties of metals
- Stiff, as strong metallic bonds
- Ductile, as ions in lattice can move when load applied
- Good conductor, as free electrons as charge carriers
Structure of ceramics
- Crystalline/polycrystalline/amorphous structure
- ionic/covalent bonds
- giant rigid structure
Properties of ceramics
- Stiff, as strong ionic/covalent bonds
- Brittle, as rigid structure
Making ceramics
Melting materials, then cooling them
Structure of polymers
- Molecular chain of a repeating unit (monomer)
- Natural (e.g. rubber) and man-made
- Covalent bonds
- Chains often scrunched up inside the material
- Sometimes have cross links between chains
Properties of polymers
- Strong, as covalently bonded monomers
- Flexible, as monomer chains can rotate around bonds and can unfold
- Rigid if many cross links, as restricts rotation
Composites
2 different materials combined together
E.g. reinforced concrete (steel rods in concrete). Concrete is strong in compression but brittle in tension; steel is strong in tension