Materials and Manufacturing Processes (H7106)

15 credits, Level 4

Autumn teaching

This module will cover topics including:

approaching engineering problems from first principles
the practice of formulating and modelling a problem and applying relevant concepts to describe and study system behaviour
critical evaluation of solutions to engineering and design problems
introduction to materials and material science: principal characteristics and applications of plastics, metals, composites, ceramics and natural materials
historical and recent developments in material science with respect to design and engineering applications
introduction to atomic and macroscopic level properties of materials
key chemical, electrical, mechanical, thermal, environmental and manufacturing properties of materials
how material properties arise from atomic level interactions
atomic bonding
the basic force/separation curve and the development of the stress/strain relationship
introduction to behaviour of materials under load, introduction to forces and basic types of loading cases
stress and strain curves
mechanics of materials under axial tensile and compressive forces
stress concentrations
introduction to design stresses and factors of safety
selection of materials: basic methods of material selection, use of software in material selection
engineering failures: typical failure mechanisms of materials such as fatigue, creep, crack growth, and corrosion
case studies of engineering failures with respect to material selection and design
introduction to manufacturing processes: casting, moulding, forming, machining, joining, rapid manufacturing and 3D printing
correct machine shop working practice and related health and safety considerations
practical lathe or milling exercise to understand feeds and speeds, operation, parting off, surface finish, tool selection, and cutting fluids/coolants
engineering tolerances
cost of manufacture and materials, and related design considerations.

Teaching

58%: Lecture
42%: Practical (Laboratory, Practical, Workshop)

Assessment

50%: Coursework (Practical assessment, Problem set, Report)
50%: Examination (Computer-based examination)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 47 hours of contact time and about 103 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2023/24. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to COVID-19, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let our applicants know of material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.

Courses

This module is offered on the following courses: