PROPERTIES OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS and

CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS BASED ON THEIR USES

I. OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are expected to achieve after the entire report:
1. To identify the different properties of engineering materials.
2. To differentiate each property of engineering materials to other material in terms of its
definition, uses, kinds and importance.
3. To classify different materials in terms of its uses.

II. BODY
A. PROPERTIES OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS
The fields of application of a particular engineering material are governed by the
characteristics and various properties of that engineering material. Such properties may be classified
into various categories as follows:

1. CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
these suggest the tendency of the material to combine with other substances.
reactivity and solubility
Effects of Chemical Properties
a. corrosion
b. chemical composition
c. acidity
d. alkalinity
Factors of Corrosion
a. air
b. industrial atmosphere
c. soils
d. acids
e. bases
f. salt solutions

2. ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
signifies the ability of the material to resist the flow of an electric current.
Basis of Electrical Properties
a. RESISTIVITY
characteristics of the material of which the conductor is made.
.
=

where,
= resistivity
R= resistance of a conductor (ohms)
 A= area of the conductor section (2 )
l = length of the conductor ()
b. CONDUCTIVITY
reciprocal of resistivity

= = ; =
.
c. DIELECTRIC STRENGTH
it means that the insulating capacity of a material against high voltages.

3. MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
is vital when it is to be used for generators and transformation through the study of its
permeability, hysteresis, and coercive force.
Most Important Magnetic Properties
a. ABSOLUTE PERMEABILITY
ratio of the flux density in a material to the magnetizing force producing that flux density.
b. COERCIVE FORCE
the magnetizing force w/c is necessary to neutralize completely the magnetism.
c. MAGNETIC HYSTERESIS
it is the rising temperature at w/c the given material ceases to be ferro-magnetic, or the
falling temperature w/c ceases to be magnetic.

4. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
characteristics governing the behavior of material when external forces are applied.
Terms in connection with Mechanical Properties of Building Materials:
a. STRENGTH
ability of a material to resist failure under the action of stresses caused by a load.
tensile strength, compressive strength, proof stress, shear strength
b. ELASTICITY
proportionality constant between stress and strain.


= = =


c. PLASTICITY
property that enables the formation of permanent deformation in a material w/out cracking.
Examples of Plastic Materials
Gold
Lead
Steel
Copper
Hot bitumen
d. DUCTILITY
ability of a metal to withstand elongation/bending.
 e. MALLEABILITY
ability of a material to be hammered or rolled into thin sheets w/out rupture.
f. BRITTLENESS
when a body breaks easily when subjected to shocks.
lack of ductility
g. HARDNESS
ability of a material to resist penetration by a harder body.
h. FATIGUE
is the phenomenon that leads to fracture under such conditions.
Effects of Fatigue
increased uncertainty in strength and service life
loss of ductility
loss of strength
i. CREEP
slow plastic deformation of metals under constant stress or under prolonged loading usually
at high temperature.

5. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
these are required to evaluate the condition of the material without any external force acting
on it.
a. BULK DENSITY
used to mean the mass of unit volume of material in its natural state.
b. POROSITY
used to indicate the degree by which the volume of a material is occupied by pores.

=

c. HYGROSCOPICITY
property of a material to absorb water vapor from air.
Factors of Hygroscopicity
nature of substance involved
number of pores
air temperature
relative humidity
d. WATER ABSORPTION
ability of a material to absorb and retain water.
Factors of Absorption
volume of materials
size of materials
shape of pores
e. WATER PERMEABILITY
capacity of a material to allow water to pass through it under pressure.
 quantity of water that will pass through the material in 1 hour at constant pressure.
Water-proof Materials
glass
steel
f. WEATHER RESISTANCE
used to express the ability of a material to resist alternating wet and dry conditions without
seriously affecting its shape and mechanical strength.
g. COEFFICIENT OF SOFTENING (COS)
ratio of compressive strength (CS) of material saturated with water to that in dry state.

. . . =

h. FIRE RESISTANCE
ability of a material to resist the action of high temperature without losing its load-bearing
capacity.
i. FROST RESISTANCE
ability of a water-saturated material to resist repeated freezing.
j. CHEMICAL RESISTANCE
ability of material to withstand the action of acids, alkalies, gases, and salt solutions
Important Materials to have Chemical Resistance
sewer pipes
hydraulic engineering installation
sanitary facilities
k. REFRACTORIES
ability of a material to withstand prolonged action of high temperature without melting or
loosing shape.
l. DURABILITY
ability to resist the combined action of atmospheric and other factors.
6. OPTICAL PROPERTIES
refers to color, light, transmission, refractive index, and reflectivity.
Optics
study of light in material and how to use this behavior to control the various light
effects.
Common Materials Having Optical Property
fiber glass
mirror
7. THERMAL PROPERTIES
knowledge of thermal properties of the material like specific heat, thermal expansion, and
conductivity is helpful in knowing the response of the material to the thermal changes.
a. SPECIFIC HEAT (SH)
quantity of heat, expressed in kilocalories, required to heat 1N of material by 1.

= 0.046 103

= 0.075 103

= 0.239 0.27 103

8. TECHNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
properties of metal and alloys which have a bearing on their processing or application.
Important Technological Properties
castability
machinability
weldability
workability

B. CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS BASED ON THEIR USES

III. REFERENCE

Fajardo, M. Engineering Materials. 2001

Marquiz, W. Engineering Materials 3RD Edition. 2006

Prepared by:

DE TORRES, Vergel L.
GONZAGA, Richard Jr. B.
(BSCE-4)