Classification Of Materials-What Are Different Types Of Materials?

[caption id="attachment_268" align="alignright" width="320" caption="Different types of materials"][/caption]

There are hundreds and thousands of different types of materials, present in this world. Some are naturally occurred materials [such as wood, water, clay, etc.] and some are men made materials-extracted from the naturally occurred materials by manipulating properties of them. It is impossible to study each and every material separately under the tree of material science, so these materials are divided into several categories, on the basis of the following factors:

• Chemical composition of materials,


• Mode of occurrence of materials naturally


• Ways of extraction of materials before usage [refining, manufacturing, etc.]


• Structure of materials [atomic or crystalline]


• Use of material [industrial and technical]

Most general classification of materials leads following different types of materials groups

Metals

This category contains all metals, whether they are ferrous, non-ferrous or alloys. Metallic materials are usually combination of several metallic elements. They have large number of free electrons; and these free electrons make metals good conductor of electricity and heat. Metals are generally defined as:

“All those substances which can readily give-up electrons to form metallic bonds are considered as metals”.

Some of the specific properties of metals are plasticity, strength, hardness, high luster, good conductor of heat and electricity, stiffness, malleability, magnetic properties, etc. These metallic materials are further classified into three different categories according to their end usage.

• Pure Metals: Extraction of pure metal is not an easy task, these are usually obtained by refining the ores by very expensive specialized extraction techniques. Some of the important pure metals are copper, aluminum etc.

• Ferrous Metals : Iron or ferrous is the main constituent of these ferrous metals. Ferrous metals are extremely important for engineering processes.

• Alloys : when two or metals are blended together [or at least one being metal], they form alloys. Most common example of alloy is stainless steel, which is the formed by the blend of chromium, nickel and low carbon steel.

Polymers:

Polymer materials consist of rubber and plastic constituents and possess very large molecular structures. Many of polymeric compounds falls in the organic materials categories, which are composed of carbon and hydrogen along with other non-organic materials. Polymers are extremely flexible in nature and possess low densities.

Ceramics:

Ceramics are intermediate compounds fall between the categories of metallic and non-metallic materials. Most frequently, these are oxides, carbides and nitrides. Ceramic materials are resistant to harsh environments such as high temperatures, due to which these are used as heat and electric insulators.

Composites:

Composites are the materials, which consist of more than one type of material to display a combination of best properties or characteristics of respective materials. A very familiar example is fiber glass, in which a polymeric material is embedded with glass fibers. Fiberglass acquires flexibility from the polymer and strength from the glass material.

Semi-Conductors:

As it is clear from their name, semi-conductors are intermediate between electrical insulators and conductors. Their electrical characteristics are extremely sensitive towards the presence of impurities, even in small percentages. Semi-conductors have totally revolutionized the electronics and telecom industry with the invention of integrated circuits.

Bio Materials:

Bio-materials are generally used in components related to human body implants in order to replace the diseased or malfunctioning organs. The basic criteria while selecting material for bio-materials are they must be compatible with human body [i-e: human body must accept them as their part], These materials must not produce toxins while in the human body. The materials which can be used as bio-materials now these days are ceramics, polymers, metals and semiconductors

Advanced Materials:

Advanced materials are utilized in high-tech [or high technology] applications. High technological processes refers to those processes which functions on relatively sophisticated and intricate principles such as fiber optics, computer systems, electronic equipment [LCDs, CD players, VCRs, etc.], military operations, space ships, air crafts, etc. These materials are very expensive and may be off all types [ceramics, polymers, metals, etc.].

Posted in: material science,materials engineering,Materials Sciences amp; Engineering,types of material