ENGR 170 - Fundamentals of Materials Science Credits: 5 Variable Credit Course: No
Lecture Hours: 55 Lab Hours: 0 Worksite/Clinical Hours: 0 Other Hours (LIA/Internships): 0
Course Description: An introduction to materials science. Explores the relationship between material processing, structure, properties, and manufactured product performance. Topics include metallic, ceramic, and polymeric materials; multiphase systems; amorphous and crystalline microstructures; and their relationship with thermal, optical, electrical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Other topics include: phase equilibrium, heat treatments, strengthening and failure mechanisms, etc.
Prerequisite: CHEM& 161 with a grade of C or higher or concurrent enrollment. Meets FQE Requirement: No Integrative Experience Requirement: No
Student Learning Outcomes
- Explain the importance of processing-structure-properties-performance relationships in engineering design.
- Classify different materials (e.g., metals; ceramics; polymers) according to the types of interatomic bonding, atomic structure, and resulting properties.
- Describe how slip systems defined using Miller/Bravais indices are related to mechanical failure.
- Explain how defect type and mechanical performance are related.
- Describe the relationship between diffusion mechanisms, material treatments (e.g., annealing; precipitation hardening), and mechanical performance.
- Use the outputs of common materials testing standards (e.g., ASTM A370) in engineering design.
- Explain under what engineering design scenarios the various failure modes (e.g., fracture; fatigue; creep) should be considered.
- Utilize phase diagrams to predict phase formation under specific processing conditions.
- Explain the importance of phase diagrams in manufacturing process design.
- Design heat treatments achieve specified microstructures using isothermal and continuous cooling transformation diagrams.
- Explain how some of the previous learning outcomes are applicable to ceramic, polymeric, and composite materials.
- Describe the different forms of corrosion and how they can be mitigated.
- Relate some common electrical properties of materials to the design of electronic devices.
Course Contents
- Providing context: What is materials science and why is it important to study it?
- Introduction to mechanical properties of materials, stress-strain diagram, and modes of failure (e.g., fracture; fatigue; creep)
- Periodic table, atomic structure, interatomic bonding
- Crystal structures, unit cells, crystallographic geometry (e.g., points; directions; planes), crystalline and noncrystalline materials
- Imperfections in solid materials including vacancies, impurities, dislocations, interfacial defects, etc.
- Plastic deformation, dislocations, strengthening mechanisms, and recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth
- Diffusion mechanisms, steady- and non-steady state diffusion
- Solubility limits, phases, microstructure, and phase diagrams (e.g., unary; binary; ternary)
- Phase transformations, kinetics, stable and metastable equilibrium, isothermal and continuous cooling transformation diagrams
- Other materials: Ceramic structures, mechanical properties, common processing techniques, and applications
- Other materials: Polymer structures, mechanical properties, common processing techniques, and applications
- Other materials: Composites, mechanical properties, manufacturing techniques, and applications
- Corrosion of materials, forms of corrosion and methods of prevention, applications
- Electrical properties, conduction, semiconductivity, dielectic behavior, applications
Instructional Units: 5
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