Lecture 2 Flashcards
What are the three classes of materials?
Ceramics, metals, and polymers
Describe a crystalline structure.
Atoms vibrate in place in a fixed pattern (organized hexagonal pattern)
Describe the structure of an amorphous material.
Atoms vibrate in place in more random arrangements
What are the three states of solid material?
Crystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous
What is a unit cell in a crystal structure?
a smaller section that is repeated on a crystal
What is the coordination number of a crystal structure.
number of nearest-neighbor atoms
What is the formula for atomic packing factor?
𝐴𝑃𝐹 = volume of atoms in unit cell / total unit cell volume
What are the three crystal structures for common metals?
Face-centered cubic (FCC), Body-centered cubic (BCC), Hexagonal Closed Packed (HCP)
Which crystal structure has the highest APF?
Which crystal structure has the highest coordination number?
How does APF impact a structure?
denser packed atoms (better strength and hardness), increase stability, increased thermal and electrical conductivity
How does coordination number impact a structure?
higher number means stronger bonding (better strength and durability), determines its coordination number, and phase behavior
What are the two types of metal formation?
Single crystal and polycrystalline
How are single-crystal metals formed?
by carefully controlled processes that allow only one crystal orientation to dominate. This process requires strict control over temperature and cooling rates to prevent additional crystals from forming.
How are polycrystalline metals formed?
metal cools, tiny crystals start to form and grow in random orientations. These crystals eventually meet and form grain boundaries where they connect
Which may be faster to produce: single-crystal or polycrystal materials?
polycrystal materials
How long does single-crystal materials take to form and why?
single-crystal metals take longer to produce due to the complex methods needed to avoid multiple crystal formations. Processes are slow, as any misstep can lead to additional crystals, which compromises the single-crystal structure.