MECH 262 –

MANUFACTURING
ENGINEERING

PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS OF

MATERIALS

Mr Bright Osafo Adunu

 Non-Ferrous Metals
2

 The non-ferrous metals include metal elements and alloys not

based on iron.

 The most important engineering metals in the non-ferrous

group are aluminum, copper, magnesium, nickel, titanium,
zinc and their alloys
 Non-Ferrous Metals
3
 Copper
4

 Copper is one of the earliest metals discovered by man.

 The boilers on early steamboats were made from copper.

 The copper tubing used in water plumbing in Pyramids was

found in serviceable condition after more than 5,000 years.

 Cu is a ductile metal. Pure Cu is soft and malleable, difficult to

machine.
 Copper
5

 Very high electrical conductivity – second only to silver.

 Copper is refined to high purity for many electrical applications.

 Excellent thermal conductivity – Copper cookware most highly

regarded – fast and uniform heating.

 Electrical and construction industries are the largest users

of Cu.
 Copper
6

 The second largest use of Cu is probably in

coins.

 The U.S. nickel is actually 75% copper. The

dime, quarter, and half dollar coins contain
91.67% copper and the Susan B Anthony
dollar is 87.5% copper.

 The various Euro coins are made of Cu-Ni,

Cu-Zn-Ni or Cu-Al-Zn-Sn alloys.
 Copper Alloys
7

 Brasses and Bronzes are most commonly used alloys of Cu.

 Brass is an alloy with zinc (Zn).

 Bronze contain tin (Sn), aluminum (Al), silicon (Si) or beryllium (Be).

 Other copper alloy families include copper-nickels and nickel silvers.

 Copper Alloys
8
 Copper Alloys - Brass
9

 Brass is the most common alloy of Cu.

 Brass has higher ductility than copper or zinc.
 Easy to cast - Relatively low melting point and high fluidity.
 Some of the common brasses are yellow, naval and cartridge.
 Brass is frequently used to make musical instruments (good
ductility and acoustic properties).
 Copper Alloys - Bronze
10

 Copper alloys containing tin, lead, aluminum, silicon and nickel

are classified as bronze.
 Cu-Sn bronze is one of the earliest alloy to be discovered as Cu
ores containing Sn.
 Stronger than brass with good corrosion and tensile properties;
can be casted, hot worked and cold worked.
 Wide range of applications: ancient Chinese cast artifacts,
skateboard ball bearings, surgical and dental instruments.
 Copper Alloys - Beryllium Copper
11

 Cu-Be alloys are heat treatable. Max solubility of Be in Cu is

2.7% at 866°C.
 Cast alloys – have higher beryllium (Be).
 Wrought alloys – have lower beryllium (Be)
 Cu-Be is ductile, weldable and machinable. Also resistant to non-
oxidizing acids (HCl or H2CO3), abrasive wear and galling.
 Thermal conductivity is between steels and aluminum.
 Beryllium Copper - Applications
12

 Used in springs.

 Other applications include jet aircraft, landing gear bearings

and bushings and percussion instruments.
 Compositions, Properties and Application of some Cu Alloys
13
 Aluminum
14

 Aluminum is a light metal ( = 2.7 g/cc); is easily machinable; has wide

variety of surface finishes; good electrical and thermal conductivities;
highly reflective to heat and light.
 The principal aluminum ore is bauxite, which consists largely of hydrated
aluminum oxide (Al2O3-H2O) and other oxides.

 Versatile metal - can be casted, rolled, stamped, drawn, spun, roll-formed,

hammered, extruded and forged into many shapes.

 Aluminum can be riveted, welded, brazed, or resin bonded.

 Aluminum
15

 Al and its alloys - high strength-to-weight ratio (high specific strength)

owing to low density.
 Such materials are widely used in aerospace and automotive
applications where weight savings are needed for better fuel efficiency
and performance.
 Aluminum–lithium (Al-Li) alloys are lightest among all Al alloys and
find wide applications in the aerospace industry.
 Corrosion resistant - no protective coating needed, however it is often
anodized to improve surface finish, appearance.
 Aluminum Alloys
16

 Aluminum alloys are classified into two categories – Cast and

Wrought alloys.

 Wrought alloys can be either heat-treatable or non-heat treatable.

 Alloys are designated by a 4 digit number. Wrought – the 1st digit

indicates the major alloying element.

 Cast – The last digit after the decimal indicates product from (casting
- 0 or ingot -1)
 Aluminum Alloys - Wrought
17
 Aluminum Alloys - Cast
18
 Compositions, Properties and Application of some Al Alloys
19
 Titanium
20

 Pure titanium melts at 1670°C and has a low density of 4.51g/cc

(40% lighter than steel and 60% heavier than aluminum).
 Titanium has high affinity to oxygen – strong deoxidizer. Can
catch fire and cause severe damage.
 Ti is stronger than Al - high strength and low weight makes
titanium very useful as a structural metal.
 Excellent corrosion resistance due to a presence of a protective
thin oxide surface film. Can be used as biomaterial.
 Applications of Titanium
21

 Aircraft – Body structure, Engine parts.

 Sporting equipment, chemical processing, turbine engine

parts, valve and pump parts, marine hardware.

 Medical implants - prosthetic devices.

 Recently, use of Ti in bikes and automotives is increasing

 Compositions, Properties and Application of some Ti Alloys
22
 Nickel
23

 Nickel is a high-density, high-strength metal with good ductility and

excellent corrosion resistance and high temperature properties.
 Two-thirds of all nickel produced goes into stainless steel production.
Also used extensively in electroplating various parts in variety of
applications.
 Ni-base super alloys are a unique class of materials having
exceptionally good high temperature strength, creep and oxidation
resistance. Used in many high temperature applications like turbine
engines.
 Nickel
24

 Nickel-containing materials are used in buildings and infrastructure,

chemical production, communications, energy (batteries: Ni-Cd, Ni-
metal hydrides), environmental protection, food preparation, water
treatment and transportation.
 Applications of Nickel
25
 Magnesium
26

 Magnesium - Lightest among commonly used metals (

=1.7g/cc). Melting point is 650°C.
 Is very reactive and readily combustible in air. Can be used as
igniter or firestarter.
 Thermal conductivity is less than Al.
 Properties of Mg can be improved substantially by alloying.
 Magnesium
27

 Can be alloyed with many elements.

 Most used alloying elements are Al, Zn, Mn and (Zirconium-Zr).

 Mg Alloys – Cast, Wrought

 Wrought alloys are available in rod, bar, sheet, plate, forgings and
extrusions.
 Magnesium Alloys
28

 Due to their light weight, superior machinability and ease of

casting, Mg and its alloys are used in many applications:–
 Auto parts, sporting goods, power tools, aerospace equipment,
fixtures, electronic gadgets, and material handling equipment.
 Automotive applications include gearboxes, valve covers, alloy
wheels, clutch housings, and brake pedal brackets.
 Compositions, Properties and Application of some Mg Alloys
29
 Ceramics Materials
30

 Ceramic material is an inorganic compound consisting of a metal (or

semimetal) and one or more nonmetals.

 Important examples of ceramic materials are silica, or silicon dioxide

(SiO2), the main ingredient in most glass products; alumina, or
aluminum oxide (Al2O3), used in applications ranging from abrasives
to artificial bones; and more complex compounds such as hydrous
aluminum silicate (Al2Si2O5(OH)4), known as kaolinite, the
principal ingredient in most clay products.
 Ceramics Materials
31

Ceramics
Refractor
Advanced
y Abrasives Glass
Ceramics
Materials
 Refractory Materials
32

 Refractory materials – The refractory materials are materials capable

of enduring high temperatures.
 The most important metals in this group are molybdenum and tungsten.
 They are chemically and physically stable at high temperatures.
 They are resistant to thermal shock, are chemically inert, and have
specific ranges of thermal conductivity and thermal expansion.
 Are used in linings for furnaces, kilns, incinerators, crucibles and
reactors.
 Refractory Materials
33

 Aluminum oxide (alumina), silicon oxide (silica),

calcium oxide (lime) magnesium oxide (magnesia)
and fireclays are used to manufacture refractory
materials.

 Zirconia - extremely high temperatures.

 Silicon carbide (SiC) and Carbon – also used in some

very severe temperature conditions, but cannot be
used in oxygen environment, as they will oxidize and
burn.
 Composition of some common refractory materials
34
 Advanced Ceramics: Automobile Engine parts
35

 Advantages:
 Operate at high temperatures – high efficiencies; Low frictional losses;
Operate without a cooling system; Lower weights than current engines
 Disadvantages:
 Ceramic materials are brittle; Difficult to remove internal voids (that
weaken structures); Ceramic parts are difficult to form and machine.
 Abrasive Ceramics
36

 Abrasives are used in cutting and grinding tools.

 Diamonds - natural and synthetic, are used as abrasives, though
relatively expensive. Industrial diamonds are hard and thermally
conductive. Diamonds unsuitable as gemstone are used as industrial
diamond.
 Common abrasives – silicon carbide (SiC), tungsten carbide (WC),
Al2O3 (corundum) and silica sand.
 Either bonded to a grinding wheel or made into a powder and used with
a cloth or paper.
 Glass
37

 Glass can be used to describe a state of matter and a type of ceramic.

 As a state of matter, the term refers to an amorphous, or non-crystalline,
structure of a solid material.
 As a type of ceramic, glass is an inorganic, nonmetallic compound (or
mixture of compounds) that cools to a rigid condition without
crystallizing; it is a ceramic that is in the glassy state as a solid material.
 Widely used for windows, bottles, glasses for drinking, transfer piping
and receptacles for highly corrosive liquids, optical glasses, windows
for nuclear applications.
 Glass
38

 The main constituent of glass is silica (SiO2). The most common

form of silica used in glass is sand.
 Sand fusion temp to produce glass - 1700°C. Adding other chemicals
to sand can considerably reduce the fusion temperature.
 Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) or soda ash, (75% SiO2 + 25% Na2O)
will reduce the fusion temperature to 800°C.
 Other chemicals like Calcia (CaO) and magnesia (MgO) are used for
stability. Limestone (CaCO3) and dolomite (MgCO3) are used for this
purpose as source of CaO and MgO.
 Key Properties of Glass
39

 Glass-ceramic materials should have:

 Relatively high mechanical strengths

 Low coefficients of thermal expansion
 Relatively high temperature capabilities
 Good biological compatibility
 Thermal shock resistance
 Compositions and Characteristics of some common Glasses
40
 Polymers
41

 A polymer is a compound consisting of long-chain

molecules, each molecule made up of repeating units
connected together.

 Most polymers are based on carbon and are therefore

considered organic chemicals

 Polymers can be separated into plastics and rubbers.

 Plastics - Thermoplastic polymers
42

 Thermoplastic polymers, also called thermoplastics (TP), are

solid materials at room temperature, but they become viscous
liquids when heated to temperatures of only a few hundred degrees.

 They can be subjected to heating and cooling repeatedly without

being degraded.

 This characteristic allows them to be easily and economically

shaped into products.
 Characteristics and Applications of some common
Thermoplastics
43
 Plastics - Thermosetting polymers
44

 Thermosetting polymers, or thermosets (TS), cannot tolerate

repeated heating cycles as thermoplastics can.

 When initially heated, they soften and flow for molding, but the
elevated temperatures also produce a chemical reaction that
hardens the material into an infusible solid.

 If reheated, thermosetting polymers degrade and char rather than

soften.
 Characteristics and Applications of some common
Thermosetting Polymers
45
 Elastomers
46

 Elastomers are the rubbers. Elastomers (E) are

polymers that exhibit extreme elastic extensibility
when subjected to relatively low mechanical stress.

 Each of the monomers that link to form the polymer is

usually made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and/or
silicon.

 Cross-linking in the monomers provides the flexibility.

 Their primary uses are in seals, adhesives and molded

flexible parts.
 Characteristics and Applications of some Commercial Elastomers
47
 Advanced Polymers
48

 Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE)

 Molecular weight - 1 x g/mol
 Outstanding properties
 high impact strength

 resistance to wear/abrasion

 low coefficient of friction

 self-lubricating surface

 Important applications
 bullet-proof vests

 golf ball covers

 hip implants (acetabular cup)

 Questions
49
 Assignment 1
50

 Define Manufacturing, both technologically and economically.

 List 3 industries under primary, secondary and tertiary.
 Classify materials and metals.

 What are the major alloying elements in steels.

 What should be minimum carbon content in a cast iron?

 What are the key properties of glass-ceramics?

 Mention some applications of magnesium alloys.

 State the types of polymers and give 2 applications each.