The Structure of Crystalline Solids

ISSUES TO ADDRESS...
• How do atoms assemble into solid structures?
(for now, focus on metals)

• How does the density of a material depend on

its structure?

• When do material properties vary with the

sample (i.e., part) orientation?

Chapter 3 - 1
 Energy and Packing
• Non dense, random packing Energy

typical neighbor
bond length

typical neighbor r
bond energy

• Dense, ordered packing Energy

typical neighbor
bond length

typical neighbor r
bond energy

Dense, ordered packed structures tend to have

lower energies.
Chapter 3 - 2
 Materials and Packing
Crystalline materials...
• atoms pack in periodic, 3D arrays
• typical of: -metals
-many ceramics
-some polymers crystalline SiO2
Adapted from Fig. 3.22(a),
Callister 7e.

Si Oxygen
Noncrystalline materials...
• atoms have no periodic packing
• occurs for: -complex structures
-rapid cooling
"Amorphous" = Noncrystalline noncrystalline SiO2
Adapted from Fig. 3.22(b),
Callister 7e.

Chapter 3 - 3
 Section 3.3 – Crystal Systems
Unit cell: smallest repetitive volume which
contains the complete lattice pattern of a crystal.

7 crystal systems

14 crystal lattices

a, b, and c are the lattice constants

Fig. 3.4, Callister 7e.

Chapter 3 - 4
 Section 3.4 – Metallic Crystal Structures
• How can we stack metal atoms to minimize
empty space?
2-dimensions

vs.

Now stack these 2-D layers to make 3-D structures

Chapter 3 - 5
 Metallic Crystal Structures
• Tend to be densely packed.
• Reasons for dense packing:
- Typically, only one element is present, so all atomic
radii are the same.
- Metallic bonding is not directional.
- Nearest neighbor distances tend to be small in
order to lower bond energy.
- Electron cloud shields cores from each other
• Have the simplest crystal structures.

We will examine three such structures...

Chapter 3 - 6
 Simple Cubic Structure (SC)
• Rare due to low packing denisty (only Po has this structure)
• Close-packed directions are cube edges.

• Coordination # = 6
(# nearest neighbors)

(Courtesy P.M. Anderson)

Chapter 3 - 7
 Atomic Packing Factor (APF)
Volume of atoms in unit cell*
APF =
Volume of unit cell
*assume hard spheres
• APF for a simple cubic structure = 0.52
volume
atoms atom
a 4
unit cell 1 p (0.5a) 3
3
R=0.5a APF =
a3 volume
close-packed directions
unit cell
contains 8 x 1/8 =
1 atom/unit cell
Adapted from Fig. 3.23,
Callister 7e. Chapter 3 - 8
Body Centered Cubic Structure (BCC)
• Atoms touch each other along cube diagonals.
--Note: All atoms are identical; the center atom is shaded
differently only for ease of viewing.

ex: Cr, W, Fe (), Tantalum, Molybdenum

• Coordination # = 8

Adapted from Fig. 3.2,

Callister 7e.

2 atoms/unit cell: 1 center + 8 corners x 1/8

(Courtesy P.M. Anderson)
Chapter 3 - 9
 Atomic Packing Factor: BCC
• APF for a body-centered cubic structure = 0.68
3a

2a

Close-packed directions:
R length = 4R = 3 a
Adapted from
Fig. 3.2(a), Callister 7e.
a
atoms volume
4
unit cell 2 p ( 3a/4) 3
3 atom
APF =
3 volume
a
unit cell Chapter 3 - 10
 Face Centered Cubic Structure (FCC)
• Atoms touch each other along face diagonals.
--Note: All atoms are identical; the face-centered atoms are shaded
differently only for ease of viewing.

ex: Al, Cu, Au, Pb, Ni, Pt, Ag

• Coordination # = 12

Adapted from Fig. 3.1, Callister 7e.

4 atoms/unit cell: 6 face x 1/2 + 8 corners x 1/8

(Courtesy P.M. Anderson)
Chapter 3 - 11
 Atomic Packing Factor: FCC
• APF for a face-centered cubic structure = 0.74
maximum achievable APF
Close-packed directions:
length = 4R = 2 a
2a
Unit cell contains:
6 x 1/2 + 8 x 1/8
= 4 atoms/unit cell
a
Adapted from
Fig. 3.1(a),
Callister 7e. atoms volume
4
unit cell 4 p ( 2a/4) 3
3 atom
APF =
3 volume
a
unit cell
Chapter 3 - 12
 FCC Stacking Sequence
• ABCABC... Stacking Sequence
• 2D Projection
B B
C
A
A sites B B B
C C
B sites B B
C sites

A
• FCC Unit Cell B
C

Chapter 3 - 13
 Hexagonal Close-Packed Structure
(HCP)
• ABAB... Stacking Sequence
• 3D Projection • 2D Projection

A sites Top layer

c
B sites Middle layer

A sites Bottom layer

a Adapted from Fig. 3.3(a),
Callister 7e.

• Coordination # = 12 6 atoms/unit cell

• APF = 0.74 ex: Cd, Mg, Ti, Zn
• c/a = 1.633 Chapter 3 - 14
 Theoretical Density, r

Mass of Atoms in Unit Cell

Density = r =
Total Volume of Unit Cell

nA
r =
VC NA

where n = number of atoms/unit cell

A = atomic weight
VC = Volume of unit cell = a3 for cubic
NA = Avogadro’s number
= 6.023 x 1023 atoms/mol

Chapter 3 - 15
 Theoretical Density, r
• Ex: Cr (BCC)
A = 52.00 g/mol
R = 0.125 nm
n=2
R
a a = 4R/ 3 = 0.2887 nm

atoms
g
unit cell 2 52.00 rtheoretical = 7.18 g/cm3
mol
r= ractual = 7.19 g/cm3
a3 6.023 x 1023
volume atoms
unit cell mol Chapter 3 - 16
 Crystals as Building Blocks
• Some engineering applications require single crystals:
--diamond single --turbine blades
crystals for abrasives Fig. 8.33(c), Callister 7e.
(Fig. 8.33(c) courtesy
(Courtesy Martin Deakins, of Pratt and Whitney).
GE Superabrasives,
Worthington, OH. Used with
permission.)

• Properties of crystalline materials

often related to crystal structure.
--Ex: Quartz fractures more easily
along some crystal planes than
others.
(Courtesy P.M. Anderson)

Chapter 3 - 17
 Polycrystals Anisotropic
• Most engineering materials are polycrystals.

Adapted from Fig. K,

color inset pages of
Callister 5e.
(Fig. K is courtesy of
Paul E. Danielson,
Teledyne Wah Chang
Albany)
1 mm

• Nb-Hf-W plate with an electron beam weld. Isotropic

• Each "grain" is a single crystal.
• If grains are randomly oriented,
overall component properties are not directional.
• Grain sizes typ. range from 1 nm to 2 cm
(i.e., from a few to millions of atomic layers).
Chapter 3 - 18
 Single vs Polycrystals
• Single Crystals E (diagonal) = 273 GPa
Data from Table 3.3,
-Properties vary with Callister 7e.
(Source of data is R.W.
direction: anisotropic. Hertzberg, Deformation
and Fracture Mechanics
-Example: the modulus of Engineering
Materials, 3rd ed., John
of elasticity (E) in BCC iron: Wiley and Sons, 1989.)

• Polycrystals E (edge) = 125 GPa

-Properties may/may not 200 mm Adapted from Fig.

vary with direction. 4.14(b), Callister 7e.
(Fig. 4.14(b) is courtesy
-If grains are randomly of L.C. Smith and C.
Brady, the National
oriented: isotropic Bureau of Standards,
Washington, DC [now
(properties the National Institute of
Standards and
are independent of the Technology,
direction of measurement) Gaithersburg, MD].)

(Epoly iron = 210 GPa)

-If grains are textured,
Chapter 3 - 19
anisotropic.
 Section 3.6 – Polymorphism
• Two or more distinct crystal structures for the same
material (allotropy/polymorphism)
iron system
titanium
liquid
, -Ti
1538ºC
BCC -Fe
carbon
diamond, graphite 1394ºC
FCC -Fe
912ºC
BCC -Fe

Chapter 3 - 20
 Linear Density
Number of atoms
• Linear Density of Atoms  LD =
Unit length of direction vector

[110]
ex: linear density of Al in [110]
direction
a = 0.405 nm

# atoms
a 2
LD = = 3.5 nm -1
length 2a

Chapter 3 - 21
 Crystallographic Planes

Adapted from Fig. 3.9, Callister 7e.

Chapter 3 - 22
 Planar Density of (100) Iron
Solution: At T < 912C iron has the BCC structure.
2D repeat unit

(100) 4 3
a= R
3

Adapted from Fig. 3.2(c), Callister 7e. Radius of iron R = 0.1241 nm

atoms
2D repeat unit 1
1 atoms atoms
19
Planar Density = = 2 = 12.1 = 1.2 x 10
area a2 4 3 nm 2 m2
R
2D repeat unit 3
Chapter 3 - 23
 Planar Density of (111) Iron
Solution (cont): (111) plane 1 atom in plane/ unit surface cell

2a atoms in plane
atoms above plane
atoms below plane

3
h= a
2
2
 4 3  16 3 2
area = 2 ah = 3 a = 3 
2
R  = R
atoms  3  3
2D repeat unit 1
atoms = atoms
Planar Density = = 7.0 0.70 x 1019
nm 2 m2
area 16 3 2
R
2D repeat unit 3
Chapter 3 - 24
 SUMMARY

• Materials can be single crystals or polycrystalline.

Material properties generally vary with single crystal
orientation (i.e., they are anisotropic), but are generally
non-directional (i.e., they are isotropic) in polycrystals
with randomly oriented grains.
• Some materials can have more than one crystal
structure. This is referred to as polymorphism (or
allotropy).
• X-ray diffraction is used for crystal structure and
interplanar spacing determinations.

Chapter 3 - 25