Materials science

Materials science deals with properties of matter and its application to various areas of science and engineering. This science investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular levels and their macroscopic properties. It includes elements of applied physics and chemistry. With significant media attention focused on nanotechnology in recent years, materials science has become an important subject at many universities. Materials science also deals with fundamental properties and characteristics of materials. Its aim is to understand materials so that new materials with the desired properties can be created.

The basis of materials science involves relating the desired properties of a material to the structure of the atoms and phases in that material through characterization. The major determinants of the structure of a material and thus of its properties are its constituent chemical elements and the way in which it has been processed into its final form. These characteristics, taken together and related through the laws of thermodynamics, govern the microstructure of a material as well as its properties.

The manufacture of a perfect crystal of a material is currently physically impossible. So, in order to create materials with the desired properties scientists manipulate the defects in crystalline materials.

The study of metal alloys is a significant part of materials science. Of all the metallic alloys in use today, the alloys of iron (steel, stainless steel, cast iron, tool steel, alloy steels) make up the largest proportion both by quantity and commercial value. Iron alloyed with various proportions of carbon gives low, mid and high carbon steels. The hardness and tensile strength of steel is directly related to the amount of carbon present, with increasing carbon levels leading to lower ductility and toughness. The addition of silicon and graphitization will produce cast irons (although some cast irons are made precisely with no graphitization). The addition of chromium, nickel and molybdenum to carbon steels (more than 10%) gives us stainless steels.

Other significant metallic alloys are those of aluminum, titanium, copper and magnesium. Copper alloys have been known for a long time (since the Bronze Age), while the alloys of the other three metals have been developed relatively recently. Due to the chemical reactivity of these metals, the required electrolytic extraction processes were also only recently developed. The alloys of aluminum, titanium and magnesium are also known and valued for their high strength-to-weight ratio and, in the case of magnesium, their ability to provide electromagnetic shielding. These materials are ideal for situations where high strength-to-weight ratios are more important than bulk cost, such as in the aerospace industry and certain automotive engineering applications.

1. Find the text English equivalents for the following words and word-combinations:

бажані властивості; порівняно нещодавно розроблені; складає найбільшу пропорцію; створити матеріали з бажаними властивостями; завдяки хімічній реактивності цих металів; в галузі науки і техніки; а також; електромагнітне екранування; так щоб; для того щоб; на рівні атомів.

1. Work in pairs. Match the English words and word-combinations given below with their equivalents:

1. cast iron 2. the amount of carbon 3. constituent element 4. properties of matter 5. alloy steel 6. the addition of silicon 7. applied physics 8. materials science 9. stainless steel 10. hardness 11. due to 12. carbon steel

a) завдяки b) твердість c) вуглецева сталь d) властивості матерії e) складовий елемент f) прикладна фізика g) матеріалознавство h) чавун i) легована сталь j) кількість вуглецю k) додаток кремнію l) неіржавіюча сталь

1. Answer the following questions:

1. What does materials science study?

2. Why has materials science become an important subject in recent years?

3. What is the aim of materials science?

4. What are the main determinants of the structure and properties of a material?

5. What is the basis of materials science?

6. The study of metal alloys is an important part of materials science, isn't it?

7. What metallic alloys make up the largest proportion of all alloys?

8. What must be added to carbon steel to produce stainless steel?

9. For what applications are alloys of aluminum, titanium and magnesium important?