Material Engineering - Why a mechanical engineer should study this subject

Mechanical engineering is a field of study that deals with physics, analysis, processes, manufacturing, design and materials. In taking up mechanical engineering, you need to learn not only the theories, computations and designs, but you also need to know the materials being used in mechanical and industrial processes and all its properties. Commonly, in fields and industries, chemical engineers are the ones who handle materials and its structures, but as a mechanical engineer, you also need to learn this staffs because you will be the one to use those materials for processing and manufacturing.

Brief history of material engineering

Material science is one of the oldest fields of subjects in engineering and sciences. Ever since the civilization started, materials already exist, being used and processed. In the early times, people in stone ages have been able to invent and use stones and other simple tools for their food hunting and survival. Centuries passed, people learned to make alloys, which provides greater properties of the materials. Up to this modern period, people still study and research for improvements of materials. 

Mechanical engineering and material engineering

Mechanical engineers are the ones who design and invent machines. In doing so, they need not only know the design and the mechanism of the machine, but also the appropriate materials to be used. This is why materials science is an important subject in mechanical engineering. Materials science, also known as materials engineering, is a branch of engineering and science that deals with the applications of properties of matters, such as its atomic structures and molecular scales. It incorporates the study of both physics and chemistry fundamentals. In the world of mechanical engineering, materials science is an important part of failure analysis and forensic engineering. In analyzing processes involved in mechanical engineering, the performance and output commonly depends on the properties of materials such as dislocations, grain materials, interference and heterogeneity. Before doing and using any materials, you need to know first its properties, and that is what materials science discusses about.

Knowing about material engineering is important.

Basic concepts and terminologies a mechanical engineer should know 

In studying materials science in your mechanical engineering degree, you need to learn the basic knowledge that are very useful and can be applied when designing a machine. As a mechanical engineer, you must know the classifications of materials which include metals, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers, composites and biomaterials which have different properties that would be your basis of selection for your design. You also need to know what processes these materials undergo and their applications in the industries. A mechanical engineer also handles the testing of the material, so you should need to know the different methods of testing materials.