Properties of Engineering Materials

The following properties of the materials are of interest to designers and users of engineering products.

1. Mechanical Properties

2. Thermal Properties

3. Electrical Properties

4. Chemical Properties

5. Physical Properties

6. Optical Properties

7. Metallurgical Properties, etc.

Mechanical Properties

Mechanical properties determine the behaviour of the engineering materials under the action of external forces. The mechanical properties of materials include strength; toughness; ductility; stiffness; hardness; and resistance to fatigue, creep, impact, and so on.

Thermal Properties

Thermal properties determine the behaviour of the material in response to the application of heat. It is significant to know the thermal behaviour of the materials utilized in furnaces and boilers since they are exposed to high temperatures. The significant thermal properties are thermal expansion, specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal shock resistance, thermal stability, and so on.

Electrical Properties

Electrical properties of the material determine their ability to permit or resist the flow of electricity. Materials to be used in electrical equipment have to be selected on the basis of their electrical properties. Some of the electrical properties include resistivity, conductivity, thermoelectricity, dielectric strength, temperature coefficient of resistance, and so on.

Chemical Properties

Many engineering materials in contact with other substances tend to suffer from chemical deterioration; because of chemical reaction between them. This necessitates the learning of chemical properties of the materials. Some of the chemical properties are corrosion resistance, acidity or alkalinity, chemical composition, and so on.

Physical Properties

The term physical property is employed to describe a material under conditions in which external forces are not considered. Physical properties resolve the dimensions, porosity, microstructure of the materials, density and so on.

Optical Properties

Optical properties of the material determine the behaviour of the material under the action of light. Some of the important optical properties are, Refractive index, Absorptivity and Absorption coefficient and Reflectivity.

Metallurgical Properties

Metallurgical properties refer to metallurgical characteristics of materials, e.g. microstructure, grain size distribution, distribution of and state of alloy elements, state of heat treatment, microhardness distribution, and so on.