Ryan Buckingham – 1001147180

Homework #2

02-15-2017

Introduction to Manufacturing Engineering

MAE 3344-001; Spring 2017

Homework Set #2 (10 points)

Due: Wednesday 02/15/2017, 11 PM

Answer the following questions from Chapter 2 - 9

1. Can Poisson’s ratio be negative? Are there materials that exhibit negative poisson’s ratio?
a. In general poisson’s ratio is positive. A negative poisson’s ration would mean that as the
material is stretched, its thickness increases as well as its length. If a material is
stretched, it makes sense that it would get thinner as a result, due simply the
conservation of mass and a constant density. There are indeed some examples of a
negative poissons ratio.
2. Consider an elastomer, such as a rubber band. This material can undergo a large elastic
deformation before failure, but after fracture it recovers completely to its original shape. Is
this material brittle or ductile? Explain.
a. This material is very ductile. Brittle materials experience little to no elastic deformation
before failure, and ductility refers to how much a material can deform before failure.
3. What role, if any, does friction play in a hardness test? Explain.
a. Hardness tests typically involve perpendicular contact between two bodies, from which
very small amounts of deformation occur (on the scale of a few millimeters to
micrometers). Since there is very little motion between bodies it is safe to conclude
that friction has a very negligible effect in hardness tests.
4. Does corrosion have any beneficial effects?
a. It depends entirely on the use of whatever is being corroded. Typically corrosion is
avoided in effort for the part to last longer. However, for example, there could be a
scenario in which one relies on the physical appearance of corrosion to know when a
part/machine needs to be replaced. So, typically corrosion is not desired, but that
cannot be absolutely the case.
5. Do polymers strain harden more than metals or vice versa? Explain
a. In general, polymers for strain harden more than metals. For a polymer there is initial
strain just like a metal, but after the elastic region where a typical metal would start
plastic deformation, a polymer will neck and begin strain hardening to great lengths
before finally failing.
6. Which would be easier to recycle, thermoset or thermoplastics? Why?
a. It would be much easier to recycle a thermoplastic than a thermoset. For a thermoset,
during polymerization, the chains and cross-linking are completed and the shape is
permanently set. This is the opposite of thermoplastics, as they are very commonly
used for molding and set into different shapes or used for thermosetting.
7. As you know, there are plastic paper clips available in various colors. Why are there no plastic
staples?
a. There are probably reasons, but one would be that the strength of a staple is much
more critical than that of a paperclip, and metals are generally much stronger than
plastic.
8. Does the strength of a ceramic part depend on its size? Why?
a. The strength of a material refers to the amount of stress it can withstand and is usually
gauged by young’s modulus. Young’s modulus is independent of the size of the object,
only the material, and ceramics are no exception.
9. Ceramics are hard and strong in both compression and shear. Why, then, are they not used as
nails or other fasteners?
a. They are extremely brittle. Ductility is very important for nails and fasteners to have, as
they can be exposed to a wide spectrum of stresses.
10. Describe situations in which a glass could be used as a matrix material.
a. Fiberglass. Fiberglass is a type of fiber-reinforced plastic where the reinforcement fiber
is specifically glass fiber.