Materials I

Structure and classification of metals, elasticity, plasticity, dislocations, strain-hardening, alloying, recrystallisation, phase diagrams, heat treatment, metal forming, casting, forging, powder metallurgy, ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys, tensile and hardness measurements. Classification and properties of polymers, polymer processing (extrusion, injection moulding, blow moulding, rotational moulding, thermoforming, compression moulding) and polymer rheology and failure.

Learning Outcomes
1. Define and describe how to measure the basic mechanical properties of a material, including elastic constants, yield, fracture and fatigue strengths, and hardness.
2. Describe microstructural features of metal including crystal structures, point, line and plane defects; describe the processes of plastic deformation and strain hardening, and describe the effects of temperature.
3. Describe at the microstructural level the concepts of metal alloying for binary and multi-component materials, and describe the effects of temperature and cooling rate.
4. Construct binary phase equilibrium diagrams for miscible, partially miscible and completely immiscible alloy components; state the lever rule and use it to calculate relative phase fractions as a function of composition and temperature.
5. Construct the Iron-Carbon phase equilibrium diagram and to use it to describe the microstructures of steel and cast iron as functions of composition and temperature.
6. Describe both equilibrium and non-equilibrium heat treatments of steel and to construct time-temperature-transformation diagrams.
7. Describe the different classes of alloy steels, copper and aluminium alloys, and discuss the effects of alloying elements on microstructure and mechanical properties.
8. Describe the main grades of stainless steel and their key features and define shape memory behaviour of nitinol materials.
9. Describe a range of metal forming methods including forging, pressing, drawing, extrusion and powder metallurgy.
10. Understand the relationships between the macromolcule chain structure and molecular weight of a polymer and material process ability and mechanical properties, and to denote similarities and differences between families of polymer materials, thermosets and thermoplastics, semi-crystalline and amorphous materials.
11. Demonstrate the capability to understand, plot and calculate the various mechanical properties (toughness, modulus, yield strength, etc.) of a polymer specimen based on standardised testing techniques (flexure, melt flow index, notched impact, fatigue testing).
12. Demonstrate the capability to design a polymer processing tool using established engineering principles to manufacture a plastic item.