Materials in Engineering - Essay Example

Practicing engineers have to understand the specific characteristics of these materials in order to make the most appropriate selection for the job on hand. Engineering materials are of many types – metals (ferrous and non-ferrous), plastics, polymers, ceramics, glass, cement etc. The most extensively used materials for engineering are of course metals followed by cement, plastics and ceramics. Different engineering disciplines like mechanical, civil, electrical, space engineering, electronics etc.

have to use these materials for building their intended products. Such products operate or exist in a vast variety of situations, and it is this variety that determines which materials are to be used where. The selection of materials poses a problem, given the different situations and the vast array of available materials. To confront this problem and make the most appropriate selection, design engineers have to match the application needs to the characteristics of the materials. A defined set of load conditions may demand completely different materials depending upon the application of the item – e.g., in surface transport vehicles, ocean going liners or in space crafts.

Design engineers select materials, depending upon their properties and suitability for the intended purpose. This is because, while the stresses and strains may be similar, the behavior of the material in the different situations can be completely different. A normal structural steel (like St 42W) may be quite suitable for a railroad car in Latin America, but is unsuitable in cold regions like Russia, where it may be subject to temperature variations of +35 to -35 deg. Celsius. A ferritic stainless steel may be unsuitable in space engineering while the same may be quite adequate for kitchen utensils.

Or to cite another example, electronic components used in TV sets are specifically tropicalized for suitability of operation in hot countries. Thus, it is essential to understand the vast variety of