00886 - Science of Metals

Learning outcomes

§ Fundamental knowledge of composition, structure and properties of metals and structural metal materials.
§ Knowledge allowing students to understand and use the relationships  between structure and prioperties and the consequent practical potentiality.
§ Adequate use of specific examples concerning both the selection criteria of materials for specific applications and their in-service behaviour (failure analysis included).

Course contents

§ Classes of materials. Main properties. Property profiles.

§ Selection criteria for metal materials. Comparative maps. Resistance to corrosion, oxidation, wear.
Phase diagrams
§ Cooling curves. Binary systems. Hume-Rothery rules. Invariant phase transformations. Intermediate phases and compounds. Solid state order-disorder transformations. Ternary systems (in short).

§ Free energy-composition curves. Stability of solid solutions vs. phase mixtures.  Thermodynamic equilibrium in binary metal systems.  Morphology and size of crystals and particles.

Metal structure. Lattice defects. Metal structure. Lattices. Atomic density  of crystallographic planes and directions. Point defects. Vacancies and solid state diffusion. Dislocations. Plastic deformaton. Surface defects. Volume defects. Thermal recovery. Poligonisation and recrystallisation of work hardened metals. Grain size.
Structure-properties relationships
§ Relationships between structure, properties and in-service behaviour. Examples of selection of metal materials with a suitable resistance to corrosion and to oxidation. Materials with improved resistance to mechanical loads. Alloys for high temperatures.
 

Readings/Bibliography

§ Lecture notes (free of charge)..
§ Available reference books:
-  D.R. Askeland, P.P. Phulè, The Science and Engineering of Materials, 4th Ed., Brooks/Cole Publ., 2002
-  M.F. Ashby, Materials Selection in Mechanical Design, Butterworths-Heinemann, Oxford, 1999, Chapter 3 e Appendix C .

- R.E. Reed-Hill, Physical Metallurgy Principles, 2nd Ed., Van Nostrand Co, 1973.
§ Software and relevant WEB sites:
- MATTER, Material Science on CD-ROM, Materials Reaching Educational Resources, University of Liverpool, 1997.
- http://www.matter.org.uk/default.htm

Teaching methods

§ Lectures carried out according to the official time table.

§ Individual support concerning specific items and subject, with a particular attention addressed to each test.
§ Collettive and individual support as for the choice and use of lecture notes, reference texts, software and WEB navigation.

Assessment methods

Oral colloquium.

Teaching tools

§ Lecture notes including all the subjects and contents as well as details on reference texts..
§ Traditional and modern media, Personal computer.
§ Custom and commercial didactic sofrwares..
§ Complementary web sites.

Office hours

See the website of Giuseppe Palombarini