123What’smaterialsscienceandengineering?SuchasStoneageandBronzeage4Itwasnotuntilrelativelyrecenttimesthatscientistscametounderstandtherelationshipbetweenthestructuralelementsofmaterialsandtheirproperties.Materialsprocessingprocessnotonlyaltersthestructure,butalsodecidesthematerialcharacteristicandperformance.5Materialengineeringmainlytosolvetheproblemandcreatematerialapplication.6Advancementintheunderstandingofamaterialtypeisoftentheforerunnertothestepwiseprogressionofatechnology.Forexample,automobileswouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheavailabilityofinexpensivesteelorsomeothercomparablesubstitutes.Inourcontemporaryera,sophisticatedelectronicdevicesrelyoncomponentsthataremadefromwhatarecalledsemiconductingmaterials.789Manyanappliedscientistsorengineers,whethermechanical,civil,chemical,orelectrical,willbeexposedtodesignprobleminvolvingmaterialsatonetimeoranother.Examplesmightincludeatransmissiongear,thesuperstructureforabuilding,anoilrefinerycomponent,oranintegratedcircuitchip.10Ofcourse,materialsscienceandengineeringistotallyinvolvedintheinvestigationanddesignofmaterials.1112selecttherightmaterialsManytimes,amaterialsproblemistoselecttherightmaterialsfrommanythousandsavailableones.Thereareseveralcriteriaonwhichthefinaldecisionisnormallybased.Firstofall,thein-serviceconditionsmustbecharacterized.13Asecondselectionconsiderationisanydeteriorationofmaterialpropertiesthatmayoccurduringserviceoperation.Finally,probablytheoverridingconsiderationiseconomics.1415Themorefamiliaranengineerorscientistiswiththevariouscharacteristicsandstructure-propertyrelationships,aswellasprocessingtechniquesofmaterials,themoreproficientandconfidentheorshewillbetomakejudiciousmaterialschoicesbasedonthesecriteria.1617