What is Material: Definition and 1000 Discussions

A material is a substance or mixture of substances that constitutes an object. Materials can be pure or impure, living or non-living matter. Materials can be classified based on their physical and chemical properties, or on their geological origin or biological function. Materials science is the study of materials and their applications.
Raw materials can be processed in different ways to influence their properties, by purification, shaping or the introduction of other materials. New materials can be produced from raw materials by synthesis.
In industry, materials are inputs to manufacturing processes to produce products or more complex materials.

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  1. A

    What would be a good adhesive material?

    Time and time again I am forced into purchasing a new hockey stick simply because the bottom of my hockey blade wears out. This is a common problem with any hockey stick which hockey stick manufacturers love as it keeps you purchasing more sticks frequently. Are there any suggestions of a very...
  2. A

    Maximum magnetic force produced by ferrous material

    Lets say you have a block of iron with a mass "m" exposed to an infinitely strong magnetic field "B." If there was a strong wooden interface preventing this iron block from moving towards the magnetic field source, how can you calculate the force the iron block would exert on the wooden board?
  3. G

    Which material is good (cost and strength wise)

    I'm currently designing an observation deck as a project. We have to consider a strong, light and cheap material that will hold 15<x<25kg. I considered bamboo, any other ideas?
  4. K

    How to calculate power output in piezoelectric material?

    Hi, I want to use piezoelectric material to harvest compression energy, i need to calculate the power output but i can't find enough information on the web to figure it out... First, I want to learn how to calculate the power output of piezoelectric material using d33 and g33 data...
  5. Y

    Alumina aerogel as refractory material

    I'm interested in building a forge, mainly for flux crystallization of corundum (ruby/sapphire), but I want it to be versatile. General Requirements: Withstand temperatures up to 1400 C (2550 F) for months at a time (crystallization can have very slow kinetics) Walls with a thermal...
  6. R

    Material for a milkshake straw

    Hey guys, I am new to this forum so I don't know if this is the correct place to post this thread. Anyways, I was wondering what kind of material would be better for a milkshake straw. Would a highly thermal conductive material (like silver) or a thermal resistant material (like glass) be...
  7. R

    During a phase transition, what is the nature of the material?

    As a material is heated, it increases in temperature until it enters a phase transition. During the transition, added heat does not increase the temperature. As this heat is being added, what is the substance? Is it a mixture of liquid and gas perhaps? If so, what are the proportions? In...
  8. T

    Material separator for recycling

    for my senior project in mechanical engineering .I'm thinking I'd like to design a machine for recycling .Basically ,different kinds of garbage can be thrown into it and separation of the materials for recycling is done by the machine .I'm not sure how to go about it though .I'm thinking the...
  9. J

    Stress of a material with a core

    If I have a rod with a steel core bonded to an aluminum shell, how can I find the stress in the rod when it is subjected to a temperature change? I know how to find the stress due to temp change if the tool is made of the same material throughout, but how do I do it if there are two? I...
  10. K

    Math 55 Notes & Problem Sets: Help for Physics Major

    Can anyone give me links with supplementary notes and problem sets for math 55? Of course I'm no harvard student, I'm just a physics major with an interest in math. Thanks in advance! ^_^
  11. U

    MHB Can anyone suggest some reading material for me?

    Hi guys, I'm doing a quantitative finance research project that is based on the following papers: "Systemic Risk and Sovereign Debt in the Euro Area" - Deyan Radev (can be downloaded here: Systemic Risk and Sovereign Debt in the Euro Area by Deyan Radev :: SSRN) and "Consistent Information...
  12. S

    PhD in physics: computational material science

    Source: Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany The Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids in Dresden, Germany, offers excellent research possibilities for students to obtain a PhD degree in a three-year graduate program in collaboration with the...
  13. R

    LED Case Materials: Epoxy vs. Acrylic and Where to Find Them

    Does anyone have any information on what the clear plastic cases (lens, capsule, w/e) are made of for LEDs? Google says it is some sort of epoxy, but I also read somewhere a while ago that sometimes it is acrylic. Is this true, and can you buy LEDs anywhere that are made of thermoplastic like...
  14. M

    Difference between Substrate & Base material in Printed Circuit Board?

    What is the Difference between Substrate & Base material in Printed Circuit Board? What is the difference between Substrate material in PCB and in semiconductor [VLSI] ?Is the VLSI substrate Cu plate? Is the substrate of VLSI a fibre glass or it is something else? What is the base...
  15. Y

    Is there any material in the world which cools when it is heated?

    Is there any material in the world which cools when it is heated?
  16. B

    Is there a material that can emit gamma radiation when heated by electricity?

    Different materials emit different frequencies of radiation when heated by a source of heat such as electricity. Examples include gases and solid filaments that emit infrared, visible and ultraviolet radiation, and the scheelite calcium tungstate filaments used to produce x-rays in fluoroscopes...
  17. E

    Is this 43mm Digital Camera Lens Made of CdTe?

    Hello everyone! What materials are used for making optical filter glasses? I bought this: http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/495852853/Digital_Camera_lens_43mm_950nm_IR.html and took its transmission spectrum. So, it reminds me a transmission spectrum of CdTe. But a-CdTe is more...
  18. D

    Force on conductor carrying currentsurrounded by solid magnetic material

    i want to compare force on current carrying conductor , 1)placed in air surrounded by magnetic field 2)placed in the cylindrical cavity(without air gap but some electrical insulation) which is placed in magnetic field. please give me practically calculated answers with calculations.
  19. A

    FEA problem: hyperelastic material model unstable

    I'm trying to get a constitutive model for a material based on some uniaxial test results obtained from one of my professors. However, I'm not able to obtain a working model with the data. I get a warning message about the model becoming unstable at the following: UNIAXIAL TENSION: 0.210E+00...
  20. C

    Potential Alpha source material

    Hello Physics Enthusiasts The other day I received in the mail a uranium ore sample from United Nuclear, with a radiation measurement of 2,500cpm, intending to use it as a particle source for my replication of the famous Gold-Foil experiment, the theory for which was devised by Ernest...
  21. W

    Mechanics of material people Stresses

    In this question below in the 2 files, i have a problem with the ( Q ) in the shearing stress.. can someone help me and explain for me how they get [Q=(32)(30)(15)] for point (a) and how about point (b) also !? what i know that Q=A.y , how did they get (32)(30) for the area and (15) for the...
  22. W

    Mechanics of material people Stresses

    In this question below in the 2 files, i have a problem with the ( Q ) in the shearing stress.. can someone help me and explain for me how they get [Q=(32)(30)(15)] for point (a) and how about point (b) also !? what i know that Q=A.y , how did they get (32)(30) for the area and (15) for the...
  23. A

    A search for a special material

    Hi all, I am in a search for a material that is transparent in UV wavelengths, but reflect light in the visible wavelength (e.g. the opposite of standard glass). does anyone here know of such a material? Thank's in advance
  24. H

    What is the meaning of material requirements?

    i have a case study on a crankshaft. i have completed the service requirements but i have no idea about what i am supposed to do for the material requirements. the question is: Discuss and identify the material requirements for the component by relating the material property requirements to...
  25. W

    Bulk Modulus of unknown material

    Homework Statement A extremely strong wire of exotic material has a radius of 0.1 mm and a length of 5 m. A 1000 kg mass is hung vertically from the wire. The speed of sound in the wire is observed to be the same as the speed of a transverse wave on the wire. What is the Bulk Modulus of the...
  26. W

    Want to know effect of differnet material on capillary action

    Hey, I need to know the effect ( capillary rise) due to different materials on capillary action. Also, what is the reason behind it, not so complex, just in simple language. It will be more good if I'll get the practical and calculated values of height in capillary tube of different...
  27. S

    Is there a method of lowering linear expansion of a material?

    Hi, I was just wondering if it was possible to change the linear expansion (and expansion in volume as volume expansion is three times the linear expansion) of a certain material. The coefficient being; a = (Final Length - Initial Length)/ (Initial length) * (ΔT) Is it possible to...
  28. N

    MHB Find Value of \(\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} f(x) dx\) for \(y=f(x)\)

    the problem says \(y=f(x)\) and find the value of \(\int_{-\infty}^{\infty}f(x)dx\) if it converges \[f(x)=\begin{cases}2-e^{-0.2x}&\text{ for } x \ge 0\\0&\text{ otherwise} \end{cases}\]...help
  29. N

    Is a vacuum balloon posible? Theoretical material?

    Homework Statement So, I was sitting in my algebra based college physics class and we were talking about buoyancy. According to Archimedes' Principal, "an object that is completely or partially submerged in a fluid experiences and upward force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced."...
  30. S

    Unravelling real and complex parts of material parameters

    Hi, I'm writing a term paper and am having a lot of trouble understanding what is meant by the real and imaginary parts of various quantities. It seems a lot of textbooks have their own conventions and it's hard to understand whether they've redefined some symbol when they "complexify" them...
  31. G

    Reading material re space/time

    as title.. are there any books with recent info re. current thinking about space/time..origin, structure etc... cheers
  32. D

    Can a Mono-Molecular Blade Separate Material?

    Would a "molecule thick" blade separate material by enough distance to damage it? I don't know if this should be in general physics. In science fiction the concept of a "mono-molecular blade" exists, this being a blade with an edge that it the thickness of a single molecule, or thinner...
  33. Q

    What is the name of this component (of a chainsaw engine)? And what material is it?

    Just wondering what the name of the component as a whole is? And what is it made of? Also, if you could tell me the name of all the constituent parts, that would be great...
  34. A

    Some suggestions on learning algebra/trigonometry material

    Hello guys. Since this is my first post and I can't post in Pre-calculus Learning Material, I shall post it here.Now, to the topic. I am passionate about learning maths, however, because I live in Australia and go to public school, the level of maths that they teach is miserable (Year 9...
  35. D

    Material Failure: Causes & Solutions

    Hi, I have been using a tensiometer to help me try and determine what the material is. one of the materials has been heat treated and and instead of a nice necking formation in the middle of the "dumbell sample" it has fractured perpendicular to the sample right next to the chucks of the...
  36. G

    Colliding Particles in Granular Material Flows

    Hello Everyone I am looking at equations of colliding particles in a granular gas and wondering how to calculate them. We assume that the grains are identical perfect spheres (in R^3) of diameter D>0, (x,v) and (x-Dn,w) are their states before a collision, where n ε S^2 is the unit vector...
  37. Arsenic&Lace

    Low curves and understanding of the material

    I was very shocked by the class averages and curve for my quantum mechanics course. The exam was curved to (brace yourselves) 55/100 as an A. Yeah. Kind of shocking, frankly. Of course, the class average was 47.5 or something on that order. My own score was an 80, which I'm not terribly happy...
  38. C

    Material durability and machinability info

    Hi all, I'm a first year mech eng student starting a mid-term assignment which is a report into the durability, machinability and cost of 3 different materials. First off, I'm looking for a durability index for different materials; brass, aluminium and plastic (ABS) What is the procedure...
  39. Y

    Calculating Material Used in a Cylinder of given Thickness

    When given a cylinder with radius, height and thickness, how does one go about computing the amount of material used in making the cylinder? Initially I thought the amount would be: Material=2\pi r^{2}t+2\pi r h t where t is the thickness of the cylinder. Looking at this equation...
  40. A

    Drop Test theoretical calculations & material selection

    Hello, I am currently assigned to perform a drop tests on a unit that we sell. Thing is that I am an Electronic Engineer so I am not best at mechanics. I am wondering whether you can calculate forces and required material strength to withstand the drop test. The reason I am asking is...
  41. B

    Find Reliable Aluminum 1100 Strain-Stress Curve for ANSYS Workbench V.13

    I'm using Ansys Workbench V.13, when I use library of explicitmaterial I saw that Unit of True Strain is Mpa ?! And if we can't trust this strain-stress curve,please tell me, where can I find aluminum 1100 strain-stress curve ?
  42. A

    Elektron tranfer between solid material

    Hello, I'm new in here. And now i am in research about elektron transfer between solid material. Is this possible and reversible ? Does anyone ever try this ?
  43. N

    Service temperature increases material strength?

    Hello All. I am getting my @$$ kicked by what seems to be a simple concept, and I hope someone can offer me a little help. With some of the nickel based super-alloys such as what are used in turbine blades, why do the alloys get stronger as they get hotter? It seems counter-intuitive to me...
  44. L

    Effect of material size on magnetization

    I'm a bit confused about the effect of the size of ferromagnetic material on the magnetic field it generates so I was hoping someone could explain it to me. The saturation magnetization is given by M = \frac{N}{V}*μ but this suggests that the magnetization is independant of the size of...
  45. D

    Fotran program to find half-life of a radioactive material

    Homework Statement I need to write a program that, given the decay constant of a radioactive material, will calculate numerically (to withing one second) the time taken for half of the orginal sample of material to decay.Homework Equations λ = decay constant C0 = start amount of material...
  46. R

    Material shear and normal stress question

    Homework Statement Everything needed is written in the question ( Open the attached image ) Nyhow the required is to find the value of P.Homework Equations Shear stress = \frac{ \Delta V }{\Delta A} eq 1 normal stress = \frac{ \Delta N }{\Delta A} eq 2The Attempt at a SolutionFor the...
  47. T

    Sound Channeling Material? Polymer or Other?

    Hey Guys, Been a while since my last visit, as I've been away for a well earnt break.. But recently I've been set a challenge and its baffling me some what, and i wonder if anyone can help pleaseeee:biggrin: Basically long and short of it, a Car Manufacturer has been struggling in...
  48. Crazymechanic

    Is there a material that exhibits resonant frequency for magnetic flux?

    Hi , I've been wondering is there a metal or some kind of material that can hold a magnetic flux like a transformer core iron and alloys usually do, but at certain frequencies have a resonant effect, like putting a let's say 100hz frequency in the primary winding could make the electromagnetic...
  49. G

    Is Ripstop Nylon Suitable for Gas-Proof Balloon Envelopes?

    Hello all! I am looking to begin working on some balloon testing. I have a general idea of how I'm going to perform this. For the balloon envelope, I wish to use ripstop nylon, but I have no clue what would be the best way to make it gas-proof? I have considered coating it with both liquid...
  50. P

    Backing material for a one-shot mold?

    Hi, I currently have a fragile metallic cylindrical mold (wall thickness ~1 micron) into which I want to injection mold a thermoplastic polymer at about 150 MPa (3.14 Mlb/sq.ft). The mold and polymer together will form the final part. However, such injection pressure far outstrips the rupture...
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