Academic English for Materials: Academic English

Title:

Academic English for Materials Science

Author:

Eugenia Eumeridou

Cover photo:

Cells and biological chain, molecules and abstract conception,3d rendering. Computer digital drawing. istockphoto.com

© 2022 Disigma Publications

For the English language throughout the world ISBN: 978-618-202-066-1

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any format by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the Publisher.

www.disigma.gr / e-mail: info@disigma.gr

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E-Book formatting: eCult Hub

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Gergidis and Dr. Barkoula for helping me get acquainted with the terminology in their field and all the staff of Disigma editions for the support and patience they exhibited throughout the whole effort.

Contents

Preface

UNIT 1

1.1 An introduction to Materials Science: Metals and Ceramics

1.2 The use of tenses in Academic English

1.3 Writing definitions

UNIT 2

2.1 Glasses and Polymers

2.2 Noun Phrases

2.3 Writing Classification Paragraphs

UNIT 3

3.1 Composites and Semiconductors

3.2 The Use of Article in Academic English

3.3 Writing Process Paragraphs

UNIT 4

4.1 The Atomic Structure

4.2 Passive Voice

4.3 Writing Cause and Effect Paragraphs

UNIT 5

5.1 Chemical Bonding: The Ionic Bond

5.2 The Use of Modals in Academic English

5.3 Writing Comparison Paragraphs

UNIT 6

6.1 Chemical Bonding: Covalent, Metallic and Van de Waal Bonds

6.2 Conditionals

6.3 Graph Description

UNIT 7

7.1 Crystalline Structures

7.2 Prepositional Verbs

7.3 Paraphrasing

UNIT 8

8.1 Crystalline Structures for Ceramics

8.2 Cohesion

8.3 Summary Writing

UNIT 9

9.1 Mechanical Properties of Metals

9.2 Non-finite forms in Academic Writing

9.3 Adjectives used to describe Materials Properties

UNIT 10

10.1 Crystal Imperfection and Defects

10.2 Formality in Academic Writing

10.3 References

Glossary

Bibliography

Preface

THIS BOOK AIMS to introduce students in a Materials Science and Engineering Department to some basic terminology in their field. It also attempts to familiarize them with the most frequent grammatical structures encountered in academic discourse providing several examples and exercises for practice, all modeled and tailored to their particular field. Finally, it introduces students to academic writing essentials, which will help them develop the necessary skills required for academic writing. The book aims at students whose level is at or around level 6 in IELTS.

UNIT 1

• Themes

Materials, Metals,

Ceramics, Sodium Vapor

Lamps, Materials Science

Engineering

• Academic Grammar

The Use of Tenses in

Academic English

• Academic Writing Skills

Writing a Definition

Start up

Task 1

Discuss the following questions:

1. What is the name of your Department in English?

2. Why is it called like that?

3. Which are the sciences involved in your field?

4. What type of materials do you know?

Reading A

Task 2

Before reading the text, match these words with their definitions: [Download]

1. Metallurgy

2. Ceramics

3. Composites

4. Semiconductors

5. Condensed matter physics

6. Polymers

7. Ductility

8. Deformability

a. It is a property of matter when a solid material stretches under tensile stress.

b. It is a material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components.

c. It is a branch of physics that deals with the physical properties of condensed phases of matter.

d. They are substances whose molecules have high molar masses and are composed of a large number of repeating units.

e. They are inorganic, non-metallic materials made from compounds of a metal and a nonmetal.

f. The altering from proper or natural form

g. It studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures.

h. A material whose electrical conductivity increases with increasing temperature

Materials Science and Engineering

Figure 1: Materials Science and Engineering

MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING IS an interdisciplinary scientific field which studies the composition, structure and properties of different materials as well as how such properties can be exploited for the design and discovery of new materials and products. It can be seen as a true blend of many traditional fields such as metallurgy, ceramic engineering, polymer chemistry, condensed matter physics and physical chemistry.

In the beginning, the field was considered a subfield of physics, chemistry, and engineering. However, as the world around us became more and more complex giving rise to needs that natural resources failed to satisfy, the need for a distinct field that would study the microstructure of materials, their properties and how these could be controlled to give rise to new materials and products became of growing importance. An understanding of the basics of the materials and their properties became essential as this would lead to the most appropriate choice of materials for different applications. Moreover, it would predict how these properties might change over time, usage, and processing. Besides, innovation stems from the ability to manipulate materials’ properties and functionality through the control of their structure and processing techniques

Materials are far more important than we realize. They affect every aspect of our life, housing, clothing, transportation, communication and they determine to a great extent our technological progress. Nevertheless, what is a material?

A material is defined as a substance (most often a solid, but other condensed phases can be included) that is intended to be used for specific applications. There is a myriad of materials around us—they can be found in anything from buildings to spacecraft. The earliest humans had access to only a limited number of materials, namely stone, wood, clay and skins. In the years to come, materials such as copper, iron, and bronze played a crucial role in the development of human civilization to the extent that whole historical eras were named after them. In today’s world, the discovery of semiconductors’ electronic properties has led to the digital revolution.

Materials can be classified in different ways on the basis of their composition, structure or properties. One of the commonest classification systems involves the following categories: metals, ceramics, glass, polymers, composites and semi-conductors.

Reading B

Metals vs. Ceramics

Figure 2: Metals

METALS ARE AMONG THE MOST IMPORTANT structuring materials. They are strong, yet they are ductile, thus permitting small amounts of yielding. The latter allows them to withstand sudden and severe loads without fracture. In addition, metals are good conductors of heat and electricity, and when polished, their surface gets a characteristic luster. Some metals like Fe, Co, and Ni also have magnetic properties.

Among the most ordinary metals are irons and steels (from Fe), aluminum alloys (Al), magnesium alloys (Mg), titanium alloys (Ti), nickel alloys (Ni), zinc alloys (Zn), and copper alloys (Cu). On the whole, metals are characterized by high strength, high stiffness, extensive formability, and shock resistance.

Figure 3: Ceramics

ON THE OTHER HAND, we have ceramics. Ceramics are mostly compounds consisting of a metal and a non-metal. They are most frequently oxides, nitrides, and carbides. Common ceramic materials comprise aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon dioxide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, while traditional ceramics include clay materials, cement, and glass. Unlike metals, ceramics are poor conductors of heat and electricity. They have high melting points, which makes them good refractory material. In particular, aluminum oxide is a popular refractory, mainly used in industrial furnace construction. Moreover, they are chemically more stable than metals, able to withstand high temperatures and harsh environments with little wear. Yet, they are brittle, and this weakness largely accounts for their exclusion from structural applications despite their increased strength and hardness.

Figure 4: Sodium vapour lamps

CERAMICS ARE TRADITIONALLY opaque. Yet, recent advances in materials technology have made it possible to construct translucent ceramics. Ceramics are traditionally produced by heating crystalline powder to high temperatures. This results in a thick, dense material. However, the densification process that takes place is never fully completed endowing such a material with a high degree of porosity corresponding to the open spaces between the powder particles prior to thermal processing. However, if we add a small number of impurities, we can allow the densification process to complete giving rise to a translucent ceramic material. Such a material is translucent aluminum oxide which is used as a basis for sodium vapor lamps which provide substantially higher illumination than do conventional lamps.

Task 3

Answer the following questions:

1. Which are those characteristics of metals that make them the most popular structuring materials?

2. Give other properties of metals.

3. Name some popular metallic alloys.

4. How can we construct translucent ceramics?

5. Give an example use for translucent ceramics.

Task 4

Write the full English name of the following metals: [Download]

Fe= i……

Na= s……

Mg= m……

Ca= c……

Ti= t……

Mo= m……

Au=……

Zn= z……

Cu= c……

Ag= s……

Al= a……

Sn= t……

Pb= l……

Task 5

Refer back to the text and find synonyms to the words below: [Download]

1. Make up (1st paragraph)

2. Combination (1st paragraph)

3. Performance (2nd paragraph)

4. Include (5th paragraph)

5. To give away under force or pressure (6th paragraph)

6. Breach (6th paragraph)

7. Rigidity (7nth paragraph)

8. Easy to break (8th paragraph)

9. Not letting the light pass through (9th paragraph)

10. The process of making something denser (9th paragraph)

Task 6

Decide whether the following statements are true or false. [Download]

1. Aluminum is a characteristic representative of a large family of engineering materials, ceramics.

2. Ceramics are characterized by ductility.

3. Metals have higher boiling points than ceramics.

4. The main drawback of ceramics is brittleness.

5. Impurities can be added to ceramics to achieve transparency.

6. Ceramics are normally opaque.

7. Magnesium oxide can undergo severe loading without fracture.

8. Sodium vapor lamps are more efficient than conventional lightbulbs.

9. Clay is a ceramic material.

10. Ceramic materials can solely be compounds of metals and nonmetals.

Task 7

Choose the correct derivative