Winter, 2017
MAE 20, Elements of Materials Science
Final Exam Study Guide
1. Miller indices for directions and planes in a cubic system: their use in slip systems of fcc and
bcc unit cells. Slip as a basis for mechanical deformation. Why is slip more difficult in ceramic
materials?
2. Defects in crystals: vacancies and dislocations (What is an edge dislocation?)
3. Fick’s laws of diffusion. Interstitial vs. substitutional diffusion in metals and ceramics.
4. Features of the Engineering and True Stress-Strain curves.
5. The effect of cracks on mechanical failure in a material. The concept of Stress concentration
(and Stress concentration factor) near inhomogeneities
6. Ductile vs. Brittle failure. The concept of the Critical Resolved Shear Stress (CRSS)
7. Fatigue failure: Definition, characteristics, and ways to reduce such failure.
8. Elements of binary phase equilibrium diagrams. Definitions of components, phases,
eutectics, eutectoids, liquidus, and solidus lines. Lever rule. The Fe-C phase diagram as the basis
for different types of steels and cast-irons.
9. Phase transformations for making steels: The concept of the TTT diagram, e.g., Why is there
a “nose”? How are cooling rates controlled to produce coarse and fine pearlite/bainite?
Applications of low, medium, and high-carbon steels, cast irons.(at least 2 of each)
10. Ceramic materials: Structure: the cation/anion radius ratio as a determining factor in various
ceramic crystal structures. Mechanical properties: Why are ceramics so brittle? The influence of
Frenkel defects. The fundamental aspects of glass transition temperature and viscosity.
11. Polymer materials: Structure: Describe the structure of a typical polymer (e.g.,
polyethylene), Thermoplastic polymers vs. Thermoset polymers. What is a copolymer?
Mechanical properties: Stress- strain behavior of a polymer and a plastic (contrast with stress-
strain curves of ceramics and metals). Variation of Elastic/Relaxation modulus with temperature.
Viscoelasticity and examples of a rubber/elastomer.
