FE Mechanical Material Properties and Processing

Knowledge area 9 of the FE Mechanical exam: 7–11 of the 110 questions. The subtopics NCEES lists, how they are tested and worked practice problems with solutions.

Take a full timed FE Mechanical practice exam

110 questions on the real 5 hours 20 minutes clock, weighted to the NCEES specifications, with a score by knowledge area and a worked solution for every answer.

Or start the free Material Properties and Processing drill

What the specification lists

  • Properties (e.g., chemical, electrical, mechanical, physical, thermal)
  • Stress-strain diagrams
  • Ferrous metals
  • Nonferrous metals
  • Engineered materials (e.g., composites, polymers)
  • Manufacturing processes
  • Phase diagrams, phase transformation, and heat treating
  • Materials selection
  • Corrosion mechanisms and control
  • Failure mechanisms (e.g., thermal failure, fatigue, fracture, creep)

From the NCEES FE Mechanical CBT exam specifications, knowledge area 9.

Line drawing of a tensile test machine gripping a metal specimen, with gears and an alloy ingot

How Material Properties and Processing is tested

Materials questions mix definitions with short calculations: reading a stress-strain curve, phase diagrams and the lever rule, heat treatment, corrosion and the galvanic series, fatigue and creep, and composite properties by the rule of mixtures.

On exam day the relationships you need are in the Reference Handbook section on Materials Science/Structure of Matter. The handbook is the only reference allowed, so practice finding each formula in it rather than memorizing a separate sheet.

Start the free Material Properties and Processing drill

FE Mechanical Material Properties and Processing practice problems

Work each problem with your calculator and the handbook, then open the solution.

Problem 1 · Properties (e.g., chemical, electrical, mechanical, physical, thermal)

A copper conductor 100 m long has a diameter of 2.0 mm. Copper's resistivity at 20°C is 1.72 × 10⁻⁸ Ω·m, and its temperature coefficient of resistance is 0.00393 /°C referenced to 20°C. The conductor's resistance at an operating temperature of 75°C is most nearly:

  1. A.0.166 Ω
  2. B.0.547 Ω
  3. C.0.666 Ω
  4. D.0.709 Ω
Show the answer and solution

Answer: C: 0.666 Ω

A = π(0.0020)²/4 = 3.1416e-06 m². R₂₀ = ρL/A = (1.72 × 10⁻⁸)(100)/3.1416e-06 = 0.5475 Ω. R₇₅ = R₂₀[1 + α(75 − 20)] = 0.5475(1 + 0.00393 × 55) = 0.666 Ω. The coefficient is referenced to 20°C, so the temperature change is 55°C, not 75°C.

Properties (e.g., chemical, electrical, mechanical, physical, thermal) · Reference Handbook: Materials Science/Structure of Matter

Problem 2 · Ferrous metals

A drawing specifies AISI 1045 steel for a shaft. In this designation, the digits 45 indicate:

  1. A.A minimum yield strength of 45 ksi
  2. B.A total alloying-element content of 45 wt%
  3. C.A nominal carbon content of 0.45 wt%
  4. D.A nominal carbon content of 4.5 wt%
Show the answer and solution

Answer: C: A nominal carbon content of 0.45 wt%

In the four-digit AISI-SAE system the first two digits identify the alloy family (10 = plain carbon steel) and the last two give the nominal carbon content in hundredths of a percent, so 1045 is a plain carbon steel with about 0.45 wt% C. Steels contain less than about 2 wt% carbon; 4.5 wt% would be in the cast-iron range.

Ferrous metals · Reference Handbook: Materials Science/Structure of Matter

Problem 3 · Engineered materials (e.g., composites, polymers)

A glass-fiber/polyester composite contains 40% glass fibers by mass. The glass density is 2.54 g/cm³ and the cured polyester density is 1.38 g/cm³. Assuming no voids, the composite density is most nearly:

  1. A.1.69 g/cm³
  2. B.1.84 g/cm³
  3. C.1.96 g/cm³
  4. D.2.08 g/cm³
Show the answer and solution

Answer: A: 1.69 g/cm³

Work per gram of composite: volume = 0.40/2.54 + 0.60/1.38 = 0.1575 + 0.4348 = 0.5923 cm³, so ρ = 1/0.5923 = 1.69 g/cm³. The linear rule of mixtures for density needs volume fractions; applying it to mass fractions gives 1.84 g/cm³.

Engineered materials (e.g., composites, polymers) · Reference Handbook: Materials Science/Structure of Matter

Problem 4 · Nonferrous metals

Select all that apply.

Which of the following wrought aluminum alloys are strengthened by precipitation (age) hardening heat treatment? Select all that apply.

  1. A.1100
  2. B.2024
  3. C.3003
  4. D.5052
  5. E.6061
  6. F.7075
Show the answer and solution

Answer: B: 2024; E: 6061; F: 7075

The 2xxx (Al-Cu), 6xxx (Al-Mg-Si) and 7xxx (Al-Zn) series form strengthening precipitates during solution treatment, quench and aging, as in tempers such as 2024-T3, 6061-T6 and 7075-T6. The 1xxx, 3xxx and 5xxx series have no such precipitation response and gain strength only by strain hardening (H tempers).

Nonferrous metals · Reference Handbook: Materials Science/Structure of Matter

More FE Mechanical practice problems from every knowledge area

Sit the full exam under the real clock

Take a full timed FE Mechanical practice exam

110 questions on the real 5 hours 20 minutes clock, weighted to the NCEES specifications, with a score by knowledge area and a worked solution for every answer.

Or start the free Material Properties and Processing drill

Common questions

How many Material Properties and Processing questions are on the FE Mechanical exam?

The NCEES FE Mechanical specification lists 7–11 questions on Material Properties and Processing, out of 110. Every examinee gets the same number per knowledge area.

What does Material Properties and Processing cover on the FE Mechanical exam?

Properties (e.g., chemical, electrical, mechanical, physical, thermal); Stress-strain diagrams; Ferrous metals; Nonferrous metals; Engineered materials (e.g., composites, polymers); Manufacturing processes; Phase diagrams, phase transformation, and heat treating; Materials selection; Corrosion mechanisms and control; Failure mechanisms (e.g., thermal failure, fatigue, fracture, creep).

Where are the Material Properties and Processing formulas on exam day?

In the NCEES FE Reference Handbook, which appears on screen during the exam: the Materials Science/Structure of Matter section. Practice with your free copy from MyNCEES so you know where each relationship sits.

Original independent practice questions written to the published NCEES exam specifications. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NCEES (National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying).