Study 01 Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering with 12 free online flashcards. Review key terms, definitions, and concepts with this interactive flashcard deck.
What five concepts form the central framework of materials science and engineering?
Composition, structure, processing, properties, and performance are connected: composition and processing help determine structure, which influences properties and performance.
What does a material’s composition describe?
Composition is what a material contains: its elements, compounds, and their proportions.
What does material structure describe?
Structure is how a material’s building blocks are arranged, from atoms and bonds to crystals, grains, and pores.
What is material processing, and what can it change?
Processing is how a material is made or changed, such as by melting, shaping, or heat treatment. It can alter structure and sometimes composition.
What are material properties?
Properties are measurable responses to conditions or stimuli, such as stiffness, electrical conductivity, or resistance to heat.
What does material performance mean?
Performance describes how well a material fulfills a specific function in service, given the application’s conditions and requirements.
How does materials design work backward from an application?
Engineers start with performance needs, identify required properties, then determine suitable composition, structure, and processing.
How does ionic bonding hold atoms or ions together?
Ionic bonding occurs when electrons transfer between atoms, producing oppositely charged ions that attract one another.
What happens in a covalent bond?
Covalent bonding involves atoms sharing electrons. These bonds are often strong and directional.
What is the mobile-electron picture of metallic bonding?
In metallic bonding, electrons can move relatively freely through the solid while positively charged atomic cores remain arranged within it.
What defines a crystalline solid?
A crystalline solid has atoms, ions, or molecules arranged in a repeating pattern.
What are a lattice and a unit cell?
A lattice describes a crystal’s regular arrangement; a unit cell is a small repeating building block used to represent it.