EG1012: FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS (2017-2018)

The course will start with a broad introduction to design methods and the ways in which information about materials enters the design process. A number of important material properties will be then defined and their relevance to engineering placed in context. Methods for measuring these properties will be given, along with the origins of these properties. The relationships between properties and microstructure, and properties and processing, will be also explored. CES EduPack, a comprehensive materials database and powerful material selection software, will be used throughout the course to enhance your learning about materials, engineering, design and sustainability.

By the end of the course you should:

Have knowledge and understanding of:

• the main classes of materials available to engineers;
• the properties of these materials and how they may be measured;
• the origins of these properties and the underpinning principles that govern the behaviour of materials;
• the way that the various classes of materials may be formed into components;
• the complex interrelationships between material microstructure, processing and properties;

 Have gained intellectual skills so that you are able to:

•  define engineering stress and strain;

• define Hooke’s law and note the conditions under which it is valid;
• given an engineering stress-strain diagram, determine the modulus of elasticity, the yield strength, the tensile strength;
• sketch simple crystallographic structures;
• name and describe fabrication techniques for metal, polymer and ceramic components;
• match or select appropriate materials to simple strength-limited designs;

 Have gained practical skills so that you are able to:

• use CES EduPack materials selection software to find information about materials and processes;

• plot an appropriate graph for a given set of data;

 Have gained or improved transferable skills so that you are able to:

• solve problems of routine nature;
• use information resources effectively;
• control your level of activity according to the complexity and intensity of the task;
• modify a workplan in the light of feedback;
• keep a detailed logbook of practical work.

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

More Information about Week Numbers

1st Attempt: One written examination of two-hours duration (80%) and continuous assessment (20%).
Resit: One written examination of two-hours duration (80%) and continuous assessment (20%).

Two out of five lab activities will be formally assessed

Students can receive feedback on their progress with the course on request during the tutorial and lab sessions.

There will be a scheduled feedback session on the exam paper/performance which will be announced within 4 weeks of the publication of the exam results.