MAE 381 Engineering Materials - Vocabulary Flashcards (Week 1)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on materials science and engineering.

Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)

Field focused on understanding how processing affects structure and properties of materials and how to select/design materials for applications.

Metals

Materials that are typically strong and ductile with high thermal and electrical conductivities; usually opaque and reflective.

Polymers/Plastics

Organic compounds (non-metal elements) that are soft and ductile with low strength and density; low thermal and electrical conductivities; can be opaque, translucent, or transparent.

Ceramics

Inorganic compounds (oxides, carbides, nitrides, sulfides) that are hard and brittle with low thermal and electrical conductivities; can be opaque, translucent, or transparent.

Processing

Manufacturing steps (e.g., cooling rate, deformation) that alter a material’s microstructure and thus its properties.

Microstructure

Arrangement of grains, phases, and defects inside a material that governs its properties.

Hardness

Resistance to indentation; often increases with carbon content in steel.

Carbon content in steel

Weight percent carbon in steel; higher carbon generally increases hardness and strength.

Electrical resistivity

A material’s resistance to electric current; increases with impurities, deformation, and temperature.

Impurity

Foreign atoms in a material that disrupt electron flow and raise resistivity.

Temperature effect on resistivity

For most metals, resistivity increases as temperature rises.

Thermal conductivity

A material’s ability to conduct heat; can be reduced by impurities or porosity; higher values indicate better heat transfer.

Porosity

Void spaces in a material; porous materials typically have low thermal conductivity and weaker mechanical properties.

Processing-Structure-Properties relationship

Concept that processing changes microstructure, which determines material properties and performance.

Magnetic permeability

A material’s ability to support the formation of a magnetic field; can be increased by alloying Fe with Si (e.g., Fe–Si).

Magnetic storage

Data storage achieved by magnetizing a recording medium; information written by a magnetic field from a head.

Optical transmittance

Degree to which light passes through a material; single-crystal Al2O3 is transparent, polycrystalline Al2O3 is translucent, porous Al2O3 is opaque.

Stress-corrosion cracking

Cracks formed when a material is simultaneously stressed and exposed to a corrosive environment.

Biocompatibility

Ability of a material to perform with an appropriate host response in the body and to minimize rejection.

Femoral stem

Hip implant stem inserted into the femur; common materials include titanium or CoCrMo alloy.

Head (ball)

The ball component of a hip joint; materials include CoCrMo alloy or Al2O3 ceramic.

Shell (acetabular)

The cup component of a hip implant; typically made from titanium alloy.

Liner

The insert between head and shell; materials include polyethylene or Al2O3 ceramic.