ENGINEERING TRIPOS PART IB - 2012/2013

PAPER 3 - MATERIALS

Materials: Microstructure, Processing & Design

Leaders:  Dr G.J. McShane, Dr. H. R. Shercliff, Prof. J. Woodhouse

Timing: Weeks 1-8 Michaelmas term

Structure: 16 lectures, 2 lectures/week

AIMS

The aims of the course are to:

• Build on the Part IA Materials course to extend understanding of the relationships between processing, microstructure and properties.
• Describe the thermodynamic and kinetic principles governing microstructural evolution in materials, and to model the evolution of microstructure and properties.
• Develop understanding and modelling of deformation responses of materials.

OBJECTIVES

As specific objectives, by the end of the course students should be able to:

• Understand the importance of temperature, composition and deformation in controlling the evolution of material microstructure and properties.
• Understand and describe the concept of the thermodynamic driving force for microstructural change.
• Understand how diffusion occurs, and derive and apply mathematical models of one-dimensional diffusion.
• Understand the general principles in interpreting phase diagrams and the theory of phase transformations.
• Apply these thermodynamic and kinetic principles and models to: (i) materials processing (e.g. solidification, precipitation, recrystallisation in metals; crystallisation in polymers; doping of semiconductors), and (ii) biological material behaviour (e.g. osmosis).
• Understand the analogy between mass diffusion and thermal diffusion.
• Describe the mechanisms of temperature-dependent creep in metals.
• Understand and model the deformation response of a range of engineering materials, including viscoelasticity, creep, and metal forming processes.

SYLLABUS (Book References)

1. Microstructure evolution in materials (5L, Dr G.J. McShane)

• Revision of principal microstructural features.
• Phases and phase diagrams (teach yourself); thermodynamic basis of phase equilibrium.
• Phase transformations: thermodynamic driving force.
• Theory of diffusion in solids.
• Phase transformations: kinetic principles; theory of nucleation and growth; TTT diagrams.

2. Materials processing (6L, Dr G.J. McShane)

• Solidification and casting.
• Deformation and annealing.
• Heat treatment of metal alloys.
• Diffusion in materials processing.
• Polymer processing.

3. Modelling of deformation responses of materials (2L, Prof. J. Woodhouse; 3L, Dr H.R. Shercliff)

• Constitutive modelling of materials deformation.
• Elasticity and viscoelasticity.
• High temperature deformation and creep in metals; deformation mechanism maps.
• Plasticity and failure: failure envelopes for metals, concrete and composites.
• Modelling of deformation processing of metals.