Material Science

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this course is to present to students the basic principles necessary to understand structure-property relations in material science. The course assumes a basic knowledge in general Physics, general chemistry, and mathematics. With these tools and the subject matter outlined in this course, students obtain a wide knowledge of modern challenges to the application of modern materials. Where appropriate, state-of-the-art problems are discussed in the form of examples. The student grasps concepts of structure from bonding through to microstructure, and then learns to consider the interrelationships between structure and property. The properties ranging from structural, electrical, optical to thermal in nature are all considered.

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this unit, students should be able to:

·         Explain the diverse activities with material science.

·         Discuss basic concepts regarding structure-property-processing relations across all material classes.

·         Discuss the structure dimensions range from bonds lengths to defect scales through to microstructure and device scale.

·         Explain the importance of quantification and characterization of properties and phenomena.

·         Examine the factors that ultimately determine a material selection for a given application.

·         Describe  the major crystal structures of solids and label crystallographic planes and directions, explain why some materials are non-crystalline,

·         Carry out a simple metallographic sample, examine it under the microscope and explain its structure,

·         Explain  the relationship between structure and properties of alloys,