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PROPERTIES AND

CHARACTERISTICS OF
MATERIALS
Physical Properties

Phase Transformation
Temperatures
Transitions from solid to liquid, from
liquid to vapor, from vapor to solid
and visa versa

The phase transition temperature where a solid
changes to a liquid is called the melting point.

The temperature at which the vapor pressure of a
liquid equals 1 atm (101.3 kPa) is called theboiling
point.
The temperature at which a solid, glassy material
begins to soften and flow is called the glass
transition temperature.

Density

Substance Density
(g/cm
3
)
Air 0.0013
Gasoline 0.7
Wood 0.85
Water (ice) 0.92
Water (liquid) 1.0
Aluminum 2.7
Steel 7.8
Silver 10.5
Lead 11.3
Mercury 13.5
Gold 19.3
It is defined as the ratio of an
objects mass to its volume.

Density is a function of the mass of
the atoms making up the materials
and the distance between them.

Specific Gravity

Specific gravity is the ratio of density of a substance compared to the
density of fresh water at 4C (39 F). At this temperature the density of
water is at its greatest value and equal 1 g/mL.
Thermal Conductivity

Material
Thermal Conductivity
W/m,
o
K
Thermal Conductivity
(cal/sec)/(cm
2
,
o
C/cm)
Air at 0 C 0.024 0.000057
Aluminum 205.0 0.50
Brass 109.0 -
Concrete 0.8 0.002
Copper 385.0 0.99
Glass, ordinary 0.8 0.0025
Gold 310 -
Ice 1.6 0.005
Iron - 0.163
Lead 34.7 0.083
Polyethylene HD 0.5 -
Polystyrene expanded 0.03 -
Silver 406.0 1.01
Styrofoam 0.01 -
Steel 50.2 -
Water at 20 C - 0.0014
Wood 0.12-0.04 0.0001
Thermal conductivity () is the intrinsic
property of a material which relates its
ability to conduct heat.
Thermal conductivity is defined as the
quantity of heat (Q) transmitted through a
unit thickness (L) in a direction normal to a
surface of unit area (A) due to a unit
temperature gradient (T)under steady
state conditions
= Q L / (A T)
Linear Coefficient of
Thermal Expansion

Material
a
(m/m/
o
K)
a (mm/m/
o
K)
Aluminum 23.8 x 10
-6
0.0238
Concrete 12.0 x 10
-6
0.011
Copper 17.6 x 10 -6 0.0176
Brass 18.5 x 10
-6
0.0185
Steel 12.0 x 10
-6
0.0115
Timber 40.0 x 10
-6
0.04
Quartz Glass 0.5 x 10
-6
0.0005
Polymeric Materials 40-200 x 10
-6
0.040-0.200
Acrylic 75.0 x 10
-6
0.075
The linear coefficient of thermal
expansion ( a) describes the relative
change in length of a material per degree
temperature change.
the ratio of change in length ( Dl) to the
total starting length (l
i
) and change in
temperature ( DT).



Electrical Conductivity and
Resistivity

Electrical conductivity is a measure of how well a
material accommodates the movement of an
electric charge. It is the ratio of the current density
to the electric field strength.
Electrical resistivity is the reciprocal of conductivity.
It is the is the opposition of a body or substance to
the flow of electrical current through it, resulting in
a change of electrical energy into heat, light, or
other forms of energy.
Magnetic Permeability

. It is a constant of proportionality that exists between magnetic
induction and magnetic field intensity.
. The permeability factors of some substances change with rising or
falling temperature, or with the intensity of the applied magnetic field.

Mechanical Properties

Strength or Loading


The strength of a material is the resistance
of a force to an object.
Five fundamental loading conditions;
Tension
Compression
Bending
Shearing
torsion
Tension
Tension is the type of loading in which the two sections of material on either side of a
plane tend to be pulled apart or elongated.


Compression
Compression is the reverse of tensile loading and involves pressing the material
together.
Bending

Loading by bending involves applying a load in a manner that causes a material to
curve and results in compressing the material on one side and stretching it on the
other.
Shearing

Shear involves applying a load parallel to a plane which caused the material on one side
of the plane to want to slide across the material on the other side of the plane.
Torsion
Torsion is the application of a force that causes twisting in a material.

Tensile Properties

Elastic limit is the greatest stress the material
can withstand without any measurable
permanent strain remaining on the complete
release of load.
Yield strength is the stress required to produce a
small-specified amount of plastic deformation.
Proportional limit is the highest stress at which
stress is linearly proportional to strain.
Ultimate tensile strength is an engineering value
calculated by dividing the maximum load on a
material experienced during a tensile test by the
initial cross section of the test sample.
True fracture strength is the load at fracture
divided by the cross sectional area of the sample.
Ductility
The ductility of a material is a measure of
the extent to which a material will
deform before fracture.
Toughness

The ability of a metal to deform
plastically and to absorb energy in the
process before fracture.
Fatigue Properties

Fatigue cracking results from cyclic stresses that are below the ultimate
tensile stress, or even the yield stress of the material.
The name fatigue is based on the concept that a material becomes
tired and fails at a stress level below the nominal strength of the
material.
Hardness

Hardness is the resistance of a material to localized deformation. The
term can apply to deformation from indentation, scratching, cutting or
bending. In metals, ceramics and most polymers, the deformation
considered is plastic deformation of the surface.
Elasticity & Plasticity
Elasticity is the property by which a
material is enabled to return exactly to
its original shape on removal of a
straining force, a very important
property in materials.
Plasticity is the reverse of elasticity; a
plastic material will retain exactly the
shape it assumes under load when the
load is removed.
Chemical Properties
Acidity or
Basicity
Definitions of acids and bases
Arrhenius
Substance
produce
H
+
in solution
Substance
produce
OH
-
in solution
Bronsted Proton donor proton acceptor
Lewis Electrophile Nucleophile
Acidity and basicity
as electrophile (electron loving sites)
and nucleophile (positive or nuclei
loving sites) in order to cover most
reactions.
Corrosion
Corrosion involves the deterioration
of a material as it reacts with its
environment. Corrosion is the
primary means by which metals
deteriorate. Corrosion literally
consumes the material reducing
load carrying capability and causing
stress concentrations

Two Chemical
Processes of Corrosion
1) Oxidation is the process of stripping
electrons from an atom. The oxidation
process takes place at an area known as
the anode.
2) Reduction occurs when an electron is
added to an atom. reduction occurs when
an electron is added to an atom. At the
cathode, the corresponding reduction
reaction takes place and consumes the free
electrons.
Composition

The presence of various elemental and chemical components in a
mixture is called composition.

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