Materials and Structures

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Identify major failure mechanisms and relate to design/service conditions
• Critically analyse a situation involving materials and prepare questions to be answered by experts in the field
• Identify regions of high stress and deformation in engineering components and systems, and predict failure by using traditional methods of stress analysis

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• The application of energy methods for stress and deformation analysis
• Relationship between understanding of materials properties, service performance and the design process
• Advanced topics in bending and torsion
• Advanced topics in buckling
• Introduction to continuum mechanics
• Properties of important engineering materials and how they are influenced by heat treatment and manufacture
• Static and fatigue failure of engineering components subject to combined loading

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Conduct scientific experiments and critically analyse results
• Produce scientific reports

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Interpret component/system failure in a wider context
• Team working through laboratory experiments

• Introduction to whole course: the interaction of materials and structures (joint lecture)
• Advanced topics in bending.

Fluctuating stresses and fatigue failure. Fatigue analysis for steady and fluctuating loads (lectures, tutorial)

• Advanced topics in torsion

(lectures, examples class, tutorial.

• Advanced topics in buckling (lectures, tutorials).
• Energy methods for stress and deformation analysis (lectures, tutorial).
• Introduction to continuum mechanics (lectures, tutorial).
• Structural Performance of Materials: Fracture, Fatigue, Wear and Corrosion (lectures, case study tutorial and lab classes):
• An introduction to the major failure modes and a consideration of the failure mechanisms. Methods to combat these failure modes are considered. Analysis of fatigue in engineering components subject to bending, tension and torsion.
• Lightweight materials (lectures, case study tutorial):
• Composites: Designing with polymer matrix composites with glass, Kevlar and carbon fibres. Basic composite theory, the properties and applications of composites. Manufacturing methods are described. Light Metals: A comparison of the metallurgy and properties of the competing light metals - the alloys of aluminium, magnesium and titanium. The effect of heat treatment upon properties is considered.
• Ferrous Alloys (lectures, case study tutorial)
• Consideration of the properties, structures and the structural transformations which occur in ferrous alloys. Selection and use of steels for structural engineering applications.
• High temperature materials (lectures, case study tutorial)

High temperature requirements, oxidation, creep, high temperature materials: nickel alloys and ceramics. Improving performance at high temperatures.

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include:

• Lectures on the above supported by example sheets in supplied course material.
• Problem classes and case study workshops.
• Laboratory sessions on: fatigue, corrosion and structures problems

Learning activities include:

• Individual work on examples in course material, attendance at laboratory classes, tutorials and associated coursework completion

Resources & Reading list

General Resources

Blackboard Course for module.

Textbooks

P P Benham, R J Crawford & C G Armstrong (1996). Mechanics of Engineering Materials. Longman.

W.D.Callister. Materials Science and Engineering - An Introduction. Wiley.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External