Understanding Material Types, Properties, and History
What Are Materials?
A material is any substance used for the construction of an object. Raw materials are resources obtained from nature to be used in subsequent production processes.
Evolution of Material Use
Technology and progress are strongly related to the number and types of materials utilized. Each new historical stage incorporated new materials, some serving to define an era, such as the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. Primitive humans used materials like stone, wood, and clay.
Material Properties Explained
Materials can be classified according to different criteria. We speak of:
- Electromagnetic properties if they relate to electricity and magnetic fields.
- Thermal properties if they respond to heat and temperature.
- Chemical properties if they describe the way a material reacts with other substances.
- Optical properties if they refer to interactions with light.
Mechanical properties are of special importance. The main ones are:
- Hardness: A material’s resistance to being perforated or scratched by another.
- Toughness: The capacity of a material to deform or not break when force is applied.
- Plasticity: The capacity of a material to deform under the action of a force and retain the new shape.
- Elasticity: The capacity of a material to recover its original form once the force that caused its deformation ceases.
- Ductility: The capacity of a material to experience large deformations without breaking when cold.
- Malleability: The capacity of a material to undergo plastic deformation without breaking.
Classification of Materials
At a primary level, we can distinguish between materials of mineral origin, biological origin, and synthetic materials. The first two are obtained from nature, while synthetic ones are formed only after a manufacturing process carried out by humans.