Curriculum Map

Introduction to Materials Science

Author:
Dr. Rana Mitra, Associate Professor of Engineering Technology, Southeastern Louisiana University

This Curriculum Map provides a list of highly relevant and engaging content from throughout AccessScience for use in enriching your teaching. Site assets such as tables, graphs, diagrams, equations, and animations have been mapped to standard topics taught in an introductory Materials Science course. Use the "Copy Link" functionality to paste a direct link from each asset into your school's learning management system for easy incorporation into your curriculum.

Course Topics

Classification of Materials
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Article Section Because material properties are based on the structural arrangement of atoms, the classification of materials follows directly from primary types of atomic bonding. This and ensuing sections of the Materials Science and Engineering article offer an overview of this classification. copy link
Diagram This diagram illustrates the modern periodic table of elements, which is divided into 18 columns called groups or families. Elements in each family tend to have similar properties. copy link
Diagram This diagram of the crystal structure of graphite, from the article on crystal structure, demonstrates the crystalline nature of a vast number of materials in the solid state, having a repetitive internal unit structure in three-dimensional space. copy link
Diagram The forces that link atoms together in metallic crystals result in close packing. This diagram from the Crystal structure article illustrates the three most prevalent systems of close packing in metals: face-centered cubic, body-centered cubic, and hexagonal close-packed structures.
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Table This table, also from the Crystal structure article, provides the specific crystal structure of a variety of metals at different temperatures (stability ranges). copy link
Diagram Alkali halides have the simplest ionic crystal structures. This figure from the Ionic crystals article illustrates the arrangement of positive and negative ions in a sodium chloride face-centered cubic lattice structure, which is common to 16 other salts. copy link
Diagram This figure shows the arrangement of atoms in diamond- and zinc-blend crystal structures, in which each atom is in the center of a tetrahedron formed by its nearest neighbors. copy link
Diagram This figure from the Glass article compares the regular arrangement of atoms in a crystal with the disordered arrangement in an amorphous solid, such as glass. copy link
Biography German physicist Max von Laue determined that x-rays are electromagnetic waves by producing diffraction in crystals. His work enabled the creation of x-ray crystallography and x-ray spectroscopy as two new branches of science. copy link
Biography British physicists W. H. Bragg and W. L. Bragg, father and son, respectively, contributed ground-breaking work in the study of crystal structures using Laue's x-ray diffraction techniques.
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Imperfections in Crystal Structures
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Diagram Natural crystals always contain defects. This schematic from the article on crystal defects shows several kinds of simple imperfections, such as a vacancy, that are typically found in crystal lattices. copy link
Diagram The Crystal defects article includes this three-dimensional illustration of extended structural defects known as dislocations, which occur in crystal structures. The first part of the diagram shows an edge distortion, while the second part shows a typical screw dislocation. copy link
Biography This biography highlights English physicist Nevill Francis Mott, whose contributions included the study of dislocations and other defects in crystals, in addition to his award-winning work in semiconductors. copy link
Diagram Most engineering materials are polycrystalline in that they are made of many small single crystals that are misoriented with respect to each other. This schematic from the article Grain boundaries shows the formation of a small-angle tilt boundary between "grains" (crystals) with different orientations, such as those found in polycrystalline materials. copy link
Graph This stress-strain plot, from the article Plastic deformation of metals, compares different mechanical properties between single metallic crystals and metallic polycrystals. copy link
Photograph This image from the article Crystal whiskers shows single filamentary crystals grown using the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism in which a liquid droplet containing impurities rides on the tip of the whisker, providing a preferential site for condensation. copy link
Diagram Most materials properties of interest for nuclear reactor design and construction are sensitive to defects in their crystal lattice.This chart from the article entitled Radiation damage to materials shows the relative sensitivity of several engineering materials to radiation damage. It also lists effects of radiation on physical and mechanical properties of these materials. copy link
Diffusion and Transport Phenomena
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Animation This animation illustrates the concept of diffusion, showing how molecules are transported from one location to another. copy link
Diagram Diffusion in crystalline matter takes place by a series of jumps of individual atoms from site to site throughout the crystal. This schematic from the article on diffusion shows three mechanisms by which crystalline matter diffuses in a solid material. copy link
Equation Fick's law of diffusion, shown in the article Transport processes, states the relationship between the mass flux and the concentration gradient within a material composed of two chemical species. copy link
Photograph This microphotograph from the article Surface hardening of steel shows structural detail in the surface layer of a carbonitrided steel specimen, where controlled amounts of carbon and nitrogen were allowed to diffuse into the steel surface at high temperatures and thereby alter the mechanical properties of the surface layers compared to the bulk of the steel.
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Table This table lists several processes used for surface hardening of steel. The first five methods are associated with the diffusion of carbon and/or nitrogen atoms into the steel surface, under elevated temperature conditions. copy link
Diagram This diagram from the article on transport processes illustrates the phenomenon of thermal conduction in a sample of material subjected to a steady temperature difference. copy link
Biography Russian theoretical physicist Alexei Abrikosov made significant contributions in the field of thermal diffusion in plasmas, as well as in the fields of superconductivity and quantum electrodynamics. copy link
Phase Diagrams
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Graph This phase diagram from the Liquid article shows temperature-pressure regimes for a pure substance in which the liquid, solid, and vapor phases are in thermodynamic equilibrium. copy link
Graph This phase diagram of the silver-copper binary alloy system, from the Alloy structures article, depicts various temperature and composition ranges in which different phases are in thermodynamic equilibrium. copy link
Graph The Steel article includes this section of the iron-carbon phase diagram, indicating the equilibrium phases present in that region. copy link
Photographs These optical micrographs from the Steel article display the microstructure of different equilibrium and nonequilibrium phases in steels with various carbon content and thermal treatments. copy link
Biography British metallurgist Robert Hadfield invented stainless steel and other ferrous alloys by carrying out experiments in which he mixed other metals to steel. copy link
Graph A more complex phase diagram, this figure from the article Heat treatment (metallurgy) shows the composition of irons, cast irons, and steels. General principles of different heat treatment mechanisms of ferrous alloys can be inferred from this graph. copy link
Graph This schematic shows a time-temperature-transformation (TTT) curve as well as isothermal transformation products of a steel with eutectoid composition. copy link
Mechanical Properties of Materials
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Diagram This schematic from the article on elasticity shows the stress components acting on the face of a cube—a valuable concept in developing the theory of elasticity. copy link
Equation This equation, from the article on mechanical properties of metal, provides the definition of true strain as the natural logarithm of the ratio of the final length to the original length of a material deformed in uniaxial tension. copy link
Graph This diagram, also from the article on mechanical properties of metal, depicts a typical engineering stress-strain curve, obtained from a uniaxial tensile test for metals.
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Graph Students can compare and contrast the stress-strain curve for metals (see above) with this diagram showing the early stages of a tensile stress-strain curve of an aluminum alloy, from the article Stress and strain. copy link
Equation The Stress and strain article includes this equation, defining Poisson's ratio as the ratio of lateral strain to longitudinal strain during deformation. copy link
Biography Poisson's ratio was developed by the French mathematician and physicist Siméon-Denis Poisson in the early 1800s. This biography describes his other important mathematical and scientific contributions as well. copy link
Graph This diagram from the article on mechanical properties of metal shows the fracture energy transition with temperature for different notch geometries in a Charpy impact test on low-carbon, semi-killed steel. copy link
Diagram This schematic, also from the article on mechanical properties of steel, illustrates two standard geometries of specimens used in fracture toughness measurement. copy link
Table This table from the article Surface hardening of steel shows typical case depth and hardness values for surface-hardened steel. copy link
Graph This figure from the article on mechanical properties of steel shows the variation of plastic strain with cycles to failure over a range of temperatures in low-cycle fatigue tests of several metal alloys. copy link
Video Biography The Indian engineer Suresh Subra was awarded the 2013 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering for outstanding contributions to the understanding of the mechanical behavior of materials, including biological materials. This video summarizes his contributions. copy link
Biography The English physicist David Tabor made significant contributions to the field of tribology, as this biography details. copy link
Physical Properties of Materials
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Table This table, from the article on magnetic materials, lists magnetic properties of a select group of soft magnetic materials, such as iron and ferrites. copy link
Diagram This diagram, from the article Magnetic recording, shows an electromagnet designed using photolithographic techniques. The thin film head incorporates a magnetoresistive read element for recording data. copy link
Animation This animation, titled Reflection and Refraction, explains the bending of light as it passes from a less dense to a more dense medium. copy link
Table The Optical materials article includes this two-panel table giving refractive indices and other physical properties of a range of crystalline materials, infrared and ultraviolet glasses, and photorefractive optical materials. copy link
Biography The German physicist and optician Joseph von Fraunhofer made major contributions to optics, and pioneered developments in spectroscopy, as this biography elucidates. copy link
Table This table from the article on electrical insulation shows resistivity, dialectric strength, and various other properties of a range of effective insulators.
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Engineering Alloys
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Table This table from the article on iron alloys indicates the typical composition of several alloys of commercial importance. copy link
Table American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) standard carbon steels represent a large percentage of all steel produced. This table from the Iron alloys article gives the basic numerals for AISI classification and their corresponding types of steels. copy link
Biography British engineer Henry Bessemer invented a process for making steel from pig iron, as this biography explains. copy link
Table This table from the article on aluminum alloys lists a range of wrought aluminum alloys, their nominal compositions, and the types of products for which they are used. copy link
Table This table, also from the Aluminum alloys article, shows the composition and casting method of several aluminum cast alloys. copy link
Diagram This schematic from the article Antifriction bearing shows a typical deep-grooved ball bearing, labeling the parts that are generally used. copy link
Table This table from the article on zinc alloys displays the chemical composition and mechanical properties of die castings. copy link
Graph This figure from the article on high-temperature materials illustrates the high-temperature capabilities of superalloys. copy link
Photograph This image from the Powder metallurgy article shows two steel connecting rods for automobile engines, produced using full-density powder-forging processes. copy link
Photographs Although they are not alloys, metal matrix composites (MMCs) can create materials with desirable combinations of properties that are not obtainable by conventional alloying. These photomicrographs from the Metal matrix composite article show typical microstructures of different MMC classes. copy link
Polymers
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Diagram Depending on the particular chemistry of the polymerization process, monomers can be combined in a variety of ways, resulting in polymers of different shapes and sizes, as illustrated in this diagram from the article Polymerization. copy link
Diagram Polymers can be linear or branched, with varying amounts and lengths of branching. This diagram from the Polymer article shows an example of each. copy link
Diagram A copolymer's properties depend on the nature of its monomers and their distribution in the chain. This diagram from the Copolymer article illustrates the arrangement of monomers in four different types of copolymers. copy link
Animation This animation on anionic polymerization demonstrates how long polymer chains can be built from small molecules. copy link
Table This table from the Polymer article lists a variety of polymers of commercial importance and gives their annual production volumes in the United States. copy link
Table This table, also from the Polymer article, lists a number of synthetic elastomers and their applications. copy link
Biography U.S. inventor Charles Goodyear is generally credited with inventing the process of vulcanizing rubber, as this biography explains. copy link
Graph This stress-elongation plot from the Polymer article represents the viscoelastic nature of polymeric materials. Students can use it to compare the mechanical properties of different polymers. copy link
Table In a well-designed composite material, the fiber is the load-bearing structure of a part. This table from the Composite polymers article compares the mechanical properties of four types of fibers used in designing composite materials. copy link
Diagram This schematic from the 2014 Research Review entitled Self-healing polymers illustrates two such systems that can be incorporated into polymer materials. copy link
Diagram Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) can be used as fillers for polymer nanocomposites, as demonstrated in this schematic from a 2009 Research Review on polymer nanocomposites with carbon nanotubes. copy link
Ceramics
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Table When discussing general advantages of advanced structural ceramics over metals and polymers, this table from the Ceramics article comes in handy. It compares typical mechanical and thermal properties of four engineering ceramics. copy link
Diagram This diagram from the article on refractory materials shows the location of these materials on a base material pyramid. copy link
Diagram This schematic of a unit cell of tetragonal barium titanate (BaTiO3), from the article Piezoelectricity, exemplifies a simple type of piezoelectric structure. copy link
Table This table from the Cermet article identifies ceramic and metal components of several types of cermets. copy link
Photograph Arc jets can be used to evaluate the performance ultrahigh-temperature ceramics (UHTCs). This photo from a 2012 Research Review on UHTCs shows typical samples prepared for testing in an arc jet. copy link
Biography German physicist Johannes Georg Bednorz discovered the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity of ceramic materials. For this, he shared the 1987 Nobel Prize for Physics with his co-discoverer, Alexander Müller. copy link