ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND

THEIR PROPERTIES
CLASSIFICATION OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS
TYPICAL PROPERTIES OF STEELS @ 25 deg. C
SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR ENGINEERING PURPOSES
Factors to be considered when selecting material
 Availability of the material
Suitability of the material for the intended working conditions and service
The cost of the material

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF METAL

The mechanical properties of the metals are those associated with the ability of the
material to resist mechanical forces and loads.
These mechanical properties are
 Strength :Ability of the material to resist the externally applied forces without breaking or
yielding.
Stiffness : Ability of the material to resist deformation under stress.
Elasticity: Property of a material to regain its shape after deformation when the external
forces are removed.
Plasticity : Property of a material which retains the deformation produced under load
permanently.
Ductility: Property of a material enabling it to be drawn into wire with the application of a
tensile force.
Brittleness: Property of a material opposite to the ductility. Property of breaking of a
material with little permanent deformation.
Toughness: Property of a material to resist fracture due to high impact loads like hammer
blows .
Machinability: Property of a material which refers to relative ease with which a material
can be cut.
Fatigue: When a material is subjected to repeated stresses it fails at a stress below the Y.P
stress. Such a failure is known as fatigue failure.
Hardness : Measure the resistance of a material to penetration.
Resistance to wear ,scratching,deformation and machinability.
It is expressed in a number which is dependent on the method of making the test.
1) Brinnel Hardness Test
2) Rockwell Hardness Test
3) Vickers Hardness Test
 MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS

STRAINS MATERIAL PROPERTIES STRESSES

TENSION TEST
STRESS STRAIN (σ-є) CURVE
As the force is applied initially straight line is obtained.
End point of the straight line “Proportional Limit”
If we start unloading after reaching “C” ,then we will come down the straight line FC(//
to OA).
At point F σ =0 but є ≠ 0 Material has deformed permanently. Permanent strain at point
F –Plastic strain
The region where material deforms permanently is called the plastic region.
Єtotal AT C = Єplastic strain(OF) + єelastic strain(FG)

Point “Y” – Yield Point. The point demarcating the plastic region from the elastic region
 It lies somewhere in the region “AB”
For many materials it may not be clearly defined. For such materials ASTM
recommended procedure shall be applied:
Mark point “H” є=0.002 (Strain of 0.2%-Offset Strain)
Draw a line “HI” // to “OA” of the σ-є curve. Point “I”- Offset Yield Stress . (Proof Stress)
Largest stress point (D)- Ultimate Stress
Rupture Stress point(E) – Rupture(Fracture) Stress
DUCTILE AND BRITTLE MATERIALS
DUCTILE MATERIAL
Can undergo large plastic deformations before fracture.
Ex: Al, Cu
BRITTLE MATERIAL
Exhibits little or no plastic deformation.
Ex. Glass
STRESS STRAIN CURVE OF M.S STRESS STRAIN CURVE OF GLASS

STRESS STRAIN CURVE OF C.I

 MATERIAL CONSTANTS
Hooke’s Law
Relationship between normal stress and normal strain
σ = Eє

E = Modulus of Elasticity (Young’s Modulus)

Poisson’s Ratio (ѵ)

Elongation of a specimen in longitudinal direction causes contraction in the lateral
direction and vice versa.
The ratio of the two normal strains- Poisson’s Ratio

 
LATERAL

LONGITUDINAL

Shear Modulus of Elasticity- Modulus of Rigidity

Relationship between the shear stress and shear strain.

τ = Gϒ
Compression Strength
Stress strain formulas can be applied to members in tension and compression in most
of the materials.
But compressive strength of many brittle materials can be different from its tensile
strength.
Ex: Cast Iron and Concrete
 STRAIN ENERGY
Energy stored in a body due to deformation – Strain Energy (U)
Strain energy per unit volume U0= U
(Strain Energy Density) V

U   U 0 dV
σ

dU0= σdє

dU0

dє є

U0 is the area underneath the stress strain curve up to the point of deformation
є

U0 = d
0
Linear Strain Energy Density
-Strain Energy Density in the Linear Region

2
U 0   Ed  E
2
= Area of the triangle underneath the stress strain curve in the linear
region
1
U 0   Energy required to stretch a unit volume of material to ϵ
2
Similarly for Shear stress strain curve
1
U 0  
2
For a 3D stress state
1
U 0  [xxxx  yyyy  zzzz  xyxy  yzyz  zxzx]
2
Strain Energy density at the yield point – Modulus of Resilience

This property is a measure of the recoverable

(elastic) energy per unit volume that can be
stored in the material..

This property is
a measure of
the energy per
Strain Energy density at rupture - Modulus of Toughness unit volume
that can be
absorbed by a
material
without
breaking.-
Resistance to
crack
HARDNESS TESTS
1) Brinell Hardness Tester
Uses a 10mm steel ball which is pressed into the specimen by a force of 3000Kg.
BHN (HB) = Load(Kg)
Area of the impression (Sq. MM)

Brinell Hardness relates well to the Ultimate Strength of Steels.

Sut  500HBpsi
Sut  3.45HBMPa
2) ROCKWELL HARDNESS TESTER
Two scales Rockwell B (HRB)and Rockwell C (HRC)
B Scale: Uses a 100Kg load on a 1/16” steel ball penetrator
C Scale: Employs a diamond cone with a load of 150Kg
CARBON STEELS
Mainly steel is composed of Iron & Carbon.
It is the amount of carbon, as well as impurities and additional alloying elements that
determine the properties of each steel grade.

According to AISI steel can be categorized into four groups based on their chemical
composition.
1) Carbon steels
2) Alloy steels
3) Stainless steels
4) Tool steels
CARBON STEELS
Carbon steels can be further classified into b three groups depending on their carbon
content.
1) Low Carbon Steels (Mild Steel) - C <0.3%
2) Medium Carbon Steel 0.3% < C < 0.6%
3) High Carbon Steel > 0.6

ALLOY STEELS
Alloy steels contain Alloying elements (such as Mn,Si,Ni,Ti,Cu,Cr,Al) in varying proportions in
order to manipulate the steel’s properties such as its hardenability, corrosion resistance,
strength, formability, weldability or ductility)

STAINLESS STEELS
Stainless steels generally contain 10-20% Cr as the main alloying element and are valued for
high corrosion resistance.
Stainless steel is divided into three groups based on their structure.
1) Austenitic - 18% Cr, 8% Ni and < 0.8% C Non magnetic and non heat treatable
2) Ferritic - 12%-17% Cr and traces of Ni,<0.1% C contains alloying elements such
as: Mo,Al and Ti
Magnetic , non heat treatable
3) Martenistic- 11-17% Cr. ,0.4% Ni and < 1.2% C
Magnetic and heat treatable
APPLICATIONS OF FERRITIC STAINLES
STEELS
Kitchenware and Industrial equipment

APPLICATIONS OF MARTENISTIC STAINLESS STEELS

TOOL STEELS
 Contain Tungsten,Mo,Co and V in varying proportions to increase the heat resistance
and durability.
Have the property of retaining their hardness even when heated to red hot.

CAST IRON
 Carbon content : 1.7%-4.5%
The carbon in the cast iron is present in either of the forms:
 Free carbon(graphite)
Cementite
Typical C.I s
1) Grey Cast Iron : Carbon is present in the form of free graphite.
Has low tensile strength and high compressive strength.
1) White Cast Iron : It has no graphite and whole of the carbon is in the form of
cementite.
2) Has high tensile strength and low compressive strength.

NON FERROUS METALS

Non ferrous metals are those which contain the a metal other than iron as their main
constituent.
 Various non ferrous metals used in engineering industry: Al,Cu,Pb,Tin,Zn,Ni and their
alloys.