Dummies Guide to Materials Science

[randywebb]

apparently does not exist, but I thought some others might be interested in this:

Aird, Forbes. 1994. Racer's Encyclopedia of Metals, Fibers & Materials. Motorbooks Intl. Osceola, WI.
- non-technical, practical guide with pretty good explanations tho a bit dated. Does not go into why metals perform the way they do, e.g. no discussion of lattice structures.

He does mention the Beryllium rotors used on some PAG racers, and that corrosion in MG alloys is now known to be due to impurities -- not to the alloys properties itself.

[911pcars]

I refer to Aird's manual quite often. Nice read, good racecar-related information and reference. So, who has the latest info on race materials?

Sherwood

[mattr_914]

Ask me in about 10 weeks. Im currently enrolled in Engineering 54- materials and science of Engineering at UCI

Seriously though, have you looked at Carroll Smith's "engineer to win" book? I got that for christmas and it goes over materials.

[randywebb]

I've read the screw to win book, but got busy and never had a chance to post on it. Some pages I copied are floating aobut in the flotsam that constitutes the part of my office that is NOT devoted to saving endangered species -- my main 'hobby'.

You might want to post on that book yourself - sound slike a different one.

Also, why not post some stuff from your course - might beinteresting to hotrodders, the many working engineers on here, and the odd techno-masochist. Good luck with your studies.

[350HP930]

The materials class I had to take for my engineering degree was one of my favorites.

All motorheads should know what an eutectic is.

[mattr_914]

Ive only had 2 lectures so far (the quarter started last wednesday). Its really interesting so far. Mostly we're looking at crystelline structures right now and why ceramics are so much stronger then alloys.

Something else thats interesting; if you take certain metals, heat them up, and splash it on a cold surface properly you can change its structure so its like plastic (amorphous material).

Much of what we're learning right now is what materials are, so its not interesting at all. For instance, knowing Aluminum is a face centered cubic structure doesnt mean anything...

[mjohnson]

That's good knowledge, but you're on a dangerous slope. Next thing you know, you'll get hooked.

You'll change career paths.

You'll get degrees in metallurgy.

You'll go crazy trying to explain what you do to people that respond to the word "metallurgist" with "Huh?"

Seriously -- It's great to see people interested in learning about the stuff around them. More people should.

Come to the dark side...

(speaking as half of a 2-metallurgist household)

[IROC]

As a design engineer, I have to make decisions regarding materials nearly every day and what I've found it that the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. I have a deep respect for people that *really* know that stuff.

Mike

[porcupine911]

Racer's Encyclopedia of Metals, Fibers & Materials (Motorbooks International Powerpro)
by Forbes Aird

[randywebb]

why are ceramics so much stronger then alloys?

And, BTW, a lot of boring stuff is imp. backgnd to build on late r - at least in biology - I don't know anything about face centered cubic things.

[mattr_914]

Ceramics stronger than alloys? Because Alloys use a cube structure with anions (the big ions like aluminum) spaced so approx 74% of the unit cube is filled with material. Basically aluminum is 74% dense with aluminum ions. Ceramics have a structure with cations (if its NaCl Na is the anion/big ion and Cl is the cation that takes up the remainder of the space), so you have a material that is ~84% dense because the cations fill the gaps the bigger anions make. This is so much easier to explain with some styrofoam balls...

I was very angry when my materials teacher said we're not going to spend much time on metalurgy because its "outdated." I know for a fact its not, but she said "none of you are going to work for US Steel, so you dont need it." I know the engineers at my dad's old work (precision aerospace machinists) used metalurgy all the time when dealing with bit temperature and strctural integrity...

[porcupine911]

metallurgy outdated? ridiculous!

btw, i am the manager of the mechanical engineering group at an aerospace company.

[randywebb]

I have a book for you - it deals with some of the most advanced structures known:

The adaptive geometry of trees, by Henry Horn. Monographs in Population Biology #??, published by Princeton Univ. Press. I forget the year. It will be in any univ. library.


Rather than just getting angry, talk to her about the parameter space occupied by metal alloys and how it has shrunk over time, and what will happen to it in the future - it may not shrink in all respects. Also, get her to comment on how to perhaps combine composite structures with alloys is some way. Then ask if there are any opportunities for ind. res. classes, directed studies, papers, or what not. i.e. use it as a way to learn - that's what you're paying for - to get challenged by the profs, if not the students.

[mpdevelopment]

Mjohnson tell me what happens to the colbalt in a SPS mp35n bolt when it is irradiated in the blast? And Mike imagine what would have happened if the old German boys from Huntsville had what Mjohnsons old boys at Los Alamos had for their A-4. Just kidding, I have friend who thinks composites will replace metals He is Very Wrong.

[Dantilla]

"No, I'm not going to work for US Steel, I'm going to work for US Titanium!"

So since my 944 is liquid cooled, is it amorphous?

[gerry100]

Can I get a set of eutectics to fit and '86 3.2 ? After that upgrade I'm looking to change the Poisson's ratio.

[masraum]

I think I dropped Materials when I was in college (never finished college, but I just started back on Monday). The information was really interesting, but I really didn't like the teacher. Not that it has anything to do with it, but it was a woman. Interesting. 2 female Materials teachers.

[mpdevelopment]

An old jingle from my days at the Tute, e to the x dy dx e to the x dx sec tan cos sin 3.14159 sqrt qubrt log of pi ---- em over RPI.

[porcupine911]

nice jingle... never heard my dad ('57?) do that one (you would be laughing if you knew him).

[gerry100]

MPdevelopment-

When were you at the 'tute?