Applied Science 278

Midterm Examination

THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Department of Materials Engineering

APSC 278 Engineering Materials

MID-TERM EXAMINATION, Feb. 13, 2013
This is a closed book examination.
Use of relevant material stored in any electronic device is prohibited (e.g. calculators, iPhones)
Answer all questions.
Show all work and units for each step in problem.
The complete exam is 7 pages in length

Name:

Student #:

Applied Science 278

Midterm Examination

(4)

A cylindrical rod of tungsten (E = 400 GPa,) having a yield strength of 1400 MPa is to be
subjected to a load of 30 000 N. If the length of the rod is 240 mm, what must be the diameter to
allow an elongation of 0.25 mm?
1) Calculate strain

l 0.25 mm

0.00104
lo 240 mm

2) calculate stress, check if below yield stress (validity of Hooks law)

E 400000 MPa 0.00104 416.67 MPa or 416.67 Nm-2

Yes, this is well below the yield stress, we can use linear elasticity
3) calculate area, then diameter

30000 N
A
72.00 mm 2
-2
416.67 Nm

d2
A
4

d 9.57 mm
(4)

An n-type semiconductor is known to have an electron concentration of 2 1019 m-3. If the

electron drift velocity is 50 m/s in an electric field of 1000 V/m, calculate the conductivity of this
material.
Conductivity is controlled by motion of electrons (i.e. we can ignore holes) so that:

n e e

(1)

Calculate mobility

50 ms -1
m2
e
0.05
-1
E 1000 Vm
Vs
Calculate conductivity with equation (1)

2x10 19 m-3 1.6x10 19 C .05m 2 Vs 1 0.16

C
1
0.16m
mVs

Applied Science 278

Midterm Examination

(4)

a) Sketch the force vs. atomic spacing diagram for an ionic bond such as NaCl. Clearly identify,
the equilibrium bond spacing and describe the relationship between this diagram and the relevant
macroscopic mechanical properties.

The modulus of elasticity is related to the stretching of the interatomic bonds.

dU
dr

(4)

r0 dF
A dr

For the plane designated below, determine the Miller Indices. Show all steps in the identification
process.

3/4

z
c

1/2

a
x

b
Plane

Intercepts
Intercepts
Reciprocal
Integer
Enclosure

a/2
1/2
2
6

b
1
1
3
(634)

3/4c

4/3
4

Applied Science 278

Midterm Examination

(4)

i) Draw a sketch of the body centred cubic unit cell.

ii) Prove that the atomic packing factor for BCC crystals is 0.68.

APF = (volume of atoms in unit cell)/(unit cell volume)

BCC
# atoms volume per atom
a3
4
2 R 3
3
0.68
( 4 R / 3 )3

APF

=68%

Applied Science 278

Midterm Examination

(4)

A plate of well annealed copper is cold rolled to a reduction of 50%.

i) Using sketches of before and after cold rolling, describe the two major changes in the
microstructure that would be expected.

The two major changes in microstructure are the grain shape (equiaxed to pancaked) and the dislocation
density:
Starting equiaxed grains (low
dislocation density)
Cold worked,
pancaked
grains (high
dislocation
density

ii) subsequently, the plate was annealed at 600 oC for 1 hour to fully recrystallize the plate.
What two major changes in the microstructure would be expected?
What is the driving force for recrystallization?
Use sketches if appropriate.
Two microstructure changes: are reduction in dislocation density and change in grain shape from
pancaked to equiaxed.
The driving force for recrystallization is the reduction in the dislocation density.

Deforme
d grains

The steady-state creep rate for an unknown material at was determined to be 5x10-4 h-1 at a stress
of 50 MPa and a temperature of 300 oC. Given that the activation energy for creep is 200 kJ/mol
and the stress exponent is 4.5, compute the steady state creep rate at 350 oC for a stress of 40
MPa.
Step 1 need to solve for K2 in the creep equation
(4)

RT

s K2 n exp

200000 Jmol1
4.5

5x10 4 h 1 K 2 50 MPa exp

-1 1
8.314 Jmol K 573.16 K
K2 1.93x10 7 MPa-4.5h 1

Step 2 solve for the steady state creep rate at 350 oC for a stress of 40 MPa.

200000 Jmol1
5.31x10 3 h 1
-1 1
8.314 Jmol K 623.16 K

1.93x10 7 MPa-4.5h 1 40 MPa4.5 exp

Applied Science 278

Midterm Examination

(4)

We have discussed that the stress to move crystal defects known as edge or screw dislocations is
very low (remember an ultra-high purity single crystal copper rod of 5 mm in diameter would
plastically deform under its own weight). As such high purity metals are not useful as
engineering materials. Discuss two strategies to increase the strength of a pure metal. (you may
include sketches to show the fundamental basis of the strengthening mechanism you propose).
There are 3 ways that we have studied so far to increase the strength: i) grain size reduction, ii)
cold work and iii) solid solution hardening.
Grain size reduction:
By definition, slip
planes are
discontinuous
across grain
boundaries, and
change directions

As a dislocation approaches a grain boundary, the boundary

acts as a barrier to continued slip.

Cold work:
For plastic deformation to occur,
dislocations must move
Dislocations interact with each other
on the same slip plane or on other
parallel or non-parallel slip planes to
make motion more difficult
It becomes increasingly more difficult for
the dislocations to move because of the
interaction between themselves
The stress to continue deformation must
rise, i.e. work hardening

Solid solution hardening:

Dislocation motion is made more difficult due to the interaction between the solute atoms and the
dislocation
24

Smaller substitutional atom

Tensile stresses
Alloy atoms are attracted to
upper side of dislocation

Larger substitutional atom

Compressive stresses
Alloy atoms are attracted to
lower side of dislocation

Applied Science 278

Midterm Examination

(4)

i) A plate fabricated from the aluminum alloy, AA7075-T6 was observed to have a surface crack
of length =10 mm as shown below. The fracture load of the plate was measured to be 30 kN.
Given that the plate has a width of 40 mm and a thickness of 5 mm, determine the fracture
toughness of this aluminum alloy. Note: the yield stress of the AA2024-T6 (should have read
AA7075-T6) is 400 MPa.

Need to solve for the stress intensity factor at the critical stress and flaw size, this will be the
Fracture Toughness.

Kc Y c ac
from problem definition, a/w =10mm/40 mm = 0.25,
from graph provided, Y 1.4-1.6 (I will use 1.5)

Kc 1.5

30000 N
0.01 m
0.040 m 0.005 m
Kc 40MPa m

Applied Science 278

Midterm Examination

(4)

A wide plate of the aluminum alloy AA2016-T6 was subjected to fully reversed loading of
125MPa. Given the S-N curve below, determine
i) estimate of the fatigue life (number of cycles to failure) of the plate
ii) if during fabrication, a hole of 3 mm in diameter was drilled in the centre of the plate,
estimate the fatigue life.

i) for a fully reversed loading of 125MPa, the predicted cycles to failure is 6-8 x 108 cycles

ii) if you drill a hole in a very wide plate then:

a
m o 1 2

for a round hole, a t , therefore

m 3 o 375 MPa
for a fully reversed loading of 375MPa, the predicted cycles to failure is 7-9 x 103 cycles.
Note: the remarkable effect of drilling a simple hole in a plate on the fatigue life, i.e. 100
thousand times reduction in the cycles to failure.

Applied Science 278

Midterm Examination

Useful Equations

y
x

z
z

E 2G1
2

y u
2

theoretical
f

T ln 1

T K Tn

n 2d sin
d hkl

a
2

k 2 l2

rate Ae Q

RT

t recrx AeQ RT
o kyd

s K1 n

2E s
c

K
2r

K Y a
R

min
max

A
1

V
l

n e e p e h

e or h
2

2 E s p

R cos cos

m 2 o

nA / N A
Vc

10

a
m o 1 2

T 1

Qv
N v N exp

RT

y
1
Ur y
2
2E
toughness

V IR

RT

s K2 n exp

f y

ni e
1

d
E

E gap / kT

Na =6.02x1023
atoms/mol
gas constant, R =
8.314 Jmol-1K-1
charge on electron=
1.6x10-19 C

Vs
C