An Introduction to Materials Engineering and Science

Abstract

This textbook is intended for use in a one- or two-semester undergraduate course in materials science that is primarily populated by chemical and materials engineering students. This is not to say that biomedical, mechanical, electrical, or civil engineering students will not be able to utilize this text, nor that the material or its presentation is unsuitable for these students. On the contrary, the breadth and depth of the material covered here is equivalent to most “traditional” metallurgy-based approaches to the subject that students in these disciplines may be more accustomed to. In fact, the treatment of biological materials on the same level as metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites may be of particular benefit to those students in the biologically related engineering disciplines. The key difference is simply the organization of the material, which is intended to benefit primarily the chemical and materials engineer. This textbook is organized on two levels: by engineering subject area and by materials class, as illustrated in the accompanying table. In terms of topic coverage, this organization is transparent: By the end of the course, the student will have covered many of the same things that would be covered utilizing a different materials science textbook. To the student, however, the organization is intended to facilitate a deeper understanding of the subject material, since it is presented in the context of courses they have already had or are currently taking—for example, thermodynamics, kinetics, transport phenomena, and unit operations. To the instructor, this organization means that, in principle, the material can be presented either in the traditional subject-oriented sequence (i.e., in rows) or in a materials-oriented sequence (i.e., in columns). The latter approach is recommended for a two-semester course, with the first two columns covered in the first semester and the final three columns covered in the second semester. The instructor should immediately recognize that the vast majority of “traditional” materials science concepts are covered in the columns on metals and ceramics, and that if the course were limited to concepts on these two materials classes only, the student would receive instruction in many of the important topics covered in a “traditional” course on materials. Similarly, many of the more advanced topics are found in the sections on polymers, composites, and biological materials and are appropriate for a senior-level, or even introductory graduate-level, course in materials with appropriate supplementation and augmentation. This textbook is further intended to provide a unique educational experience for the student. This is accomplished through the incorporation of instructional objectives, active-learning principles, design-oriented problems, and web-based information and visualization utilization. Instructional objectives are included at the beginning of each chapter to assist both the student and the instructor in determining the extent of topics and the depth of understanding required from each topic. This list should be used as a guide only: Instructors will require additional information they deem important or eliminate topics they deem inappropriate, and students will find additional topic coverage in their supplemental reading, which is encouraged through a list of references at the e