Modern materials science tends to classify materials into the following categories:
1. Metals (this includes pure metals and alloys)
2. Ceramics
3. Polymers
4 (sort of). composites
composites are generally not considered to be an actual material type because a composite is simply a combination of 2 or more different material types, for example a metal matrix ceramic material would be a composite.
cmcmsu
2006-04-06 17:04:52 UTC
Modern Materials is a very general topic. You could include all types of composite materials, coatings, alloys, and material formulations. If you were to make a gross generalization, a modern material would be any material that is not in it's elemental form. In other words, Iron itself is a soft and mallable metal. When Iron is melted with other metals to create Steel, it is a much stronger and tougher material. We make Modern materials to help us with specific tasks. We make composite graphite shafts for fishing pools and golf clubs because they perform at a higher level than any elemental material could perform. Hope that helps.
Chris
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