Fundamentals of Materials Science
Keywords |
Classification |
Keyword |
OFICIAL |
Science and Technology of Materials |
Instance: 2021/2022 - 2S
Cycles of Study/Courses
Acronym |
No. of Students |
Study Plan |
Curricular Years |
Credits UCN |
Credits ECTS |
Contact hours |
Total Time |
L.EMAT |
35 |
Syllabus |
2 |
- |
6 |
52 |
162 |
Teaching language
Portuguese and english
Objectives
This curricular unit was designed to incorporate theoretical and practical foundations of Materials Science, so that students are able to apply them to real situations and contexts. Knowledge of electronic and crystalline structure are fundamental to understanding the physical and mechanical behavior of engineering materials.
Afterwards, the basic concepts of diffusion, which control most of the phase transformations, are introduced, and examples of its application to real cases are discussed.
The theoretical knowledge that governs phase transformations controlled by diffusion, solidification and solid state transformations, allow students to know the microstructure manipulation strategies. Its application to concrete cases will be essential to acquire a comprehensive view of the relationship between processing and the structure of materials.
Learning outcomes and competences
At the end of this course, students ought to know to:
Describe the difference between crystalline and noncrystalline materials.
Define concepts such as crystal lattices, directions and planes.
Apply Bragg's Law and explain its relationship to the crystal structure;
Interpret diffraction patterns.
Name and describe the mechanisms of diffusion.
Write the equations for Fick’s 1st and 2nd laws.
Calculate diffusion coefficient at different temperatures.
Apply Fick’s laws to solve real problems.
Know the influence of heat and mass flow on the nucleation and growth of crystals from the melt.
Interpret the influence of constitutional undercooling and alloying in the morphology of the solidification front.
Describe and explain the principles of solid-state phase transformations.
Explain the effect of different interfaces on nucleation and microstructure.
Explain the difference between homogenous and heterogeneous nucleation.
Working method
Presencial
Program
Crystalline structures. Unit cells, points, directions and crystallographic planes. Monocrystals and polycrystals.
X-ray Diffraction. X-rays, continuous and characteristic spectra. Absorption Limits. Diffraction principles and its application to the identification of crystalline materials. Interpretation of spectra.
Diffusion: diffusion flow (Fick's 1st law) and concentration gradients (Fick's 2nd law); atomic mechanisms of diffusion; diffusion variables; Kirkendal effect; alloy diffusion. Case analysis.
Solidification: homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation; solidification of pure metals and alloys; structures and leakage defects.
Solid state phase transformations: nucleation and growth; microstructures; kinetics.
Calorimetry techniques. Exploration of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests.
Mandatory literature
William D. Callister and David G. Rethwisch; Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-119-40549-8
David A. Porter;
Phase transformations in metals and alloys. ISBN: 978-1-4200-6210-6
Michael E. Brown;
Introduction to thermal analysis. ISBN: 1-4020-0472-9
Complementary Bibliography
Wendelin Wright and Donald Askeland; The Science and Engineering of Materials, 2021. ISBN: 978-0357447864
Comments from the literature
Students also have access to presentations prepared by the teacher.
Teaching methods and learning activities
Classes consist primarly of lectures on different topics of syllabus. Exercises, discussions and films observation will be organized to apply and visualize the content of the lectures.
Students will be involved in the learning process through discussion and analysis of issues and problem solving. The application of theoretical concepts to real cases by students, working independently or together with partners and in group, will also be included in the process. Crystallography simulation software will be used to teach crystallographic gratings and X-ray diffraction. The solidification and solid state transformations of engineering materials will be discussed and analyzed using results from DSC experiments.
The assessment will focus on work presented by students during class, such as analysis of test results and problem solving, mini-tests and a final written exam.
Evaluation Type
Distributed evaluation with final exam
Assessment Components
Designation |
Weight (%) |
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico |
20,00 |
Exame |
50,00 |
Teste |
30,00 |
Total: |
100,00 |
Amount of time allocated to each course unit
Designation |
Time (hours) |
Estudo autónomo |
52,00 |
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico |
30,00 |
Frequência das aulas |
52,00 |
Trabalho escrito |
28,00 |
Total: |
162,00 |
Eligibility for exams
Average grades of class presentations and quizzes with a value greater than 9.
Calculation formula of final grade
Final grade = 0.5 of the exam grade + 0.2 of the average of the grades of the presentations + 0.3 of the average of the grades of the mini-tests.
Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)
Exam
Classification improvement
Exam