Academic management

The subject "Materials Science" of the different engineering degrees of the engineering school of Gijón is a basic subject due to the importance to know the different type of materials used in engineering applications in order to manufacture any structure, component or device, and the way to modify these materials to improve their properties and performance.

The contents of the subject are related not only to basic aspects but also to the practical application of the adquired knowledge in different engineering situations.

The main capabilities of the students after the study of this subject will be the following ones:

• Capability to know the magnitudes that define the different properties of the industrial materials.
• Capability to control the material's properties from the knowledge of their atomic structures and defects.
• Capability to use the binary equilibrium diagrams and the fundamentals aspects of the ternary diagrams.
• Capability to design thermal treatments in order to modify the microstructure and properties of steels, cast irons and non-ferrous alloys.
• Basic knowledge of industrial ceramics and comprehension of the relationship among their structures, manufacturing processes, properties and final uses.
• Basic knowledge of industrial plastics and comprehension among their structures, properties and final uses.
• Capability to use the different materials and to join them properly in order to design composite materials with controlled properties.

Any additional requirement is needed to attend this subject. It will be only important to have basic knowledge on phisics, chemistry, thermodynamics and mechanics.

The learning results of the subject "Materials Science" will be the following ones:   

 Knowledges

• To know the way atoms joint themselves to form crystalline structures in conventional materials and to know their most characteristic defects.
• To know the basis and laws of the diffusion phenomena in solids.
• To know the basic aspects of the properties of materials (mechanical, electrical, magnetic, thermal and optical), and their dependence on the structures and defects present in the different materials. 
• To know the basis of hot and cold plastic forming. 
• To know how solidification processes go on and also the casting techniques usually used in the industry.
• To know the  use of binary equilibrium diagrams and the fundamental basis of the ternary diagrams.
• Knowledge of the normal solid transformations that take place during the thermal treatment of steels and cast irons.
• To know the most important families of non-ferrous alloys and their typical thermal tretments.
• To have a basic knowledge of  the structures, properties, basic processes of manufacture and applications ot the most characteristic industrial ceramics.
• To have a basic knowledge of the polymerization phenomena, structures, families, manufacture processes, properties and applications of the most important industrial plastics.
• To know the way to make composite materials using single materials, and their characteristics and most important properties.

Expertises

• Capability to describe the basic characteristics that define crystalline structures.
• Capability to use the diffusion laws in order to perform different calculations.
• Capability to determine the conventional mechanical properties of any industrial materials by means of the corresponding experimental tests.
• Capability to determine the electrical, magnetic, thermal and optical properties from the results obtained in the corresponding tests.
• Capability to use the binary equilibrium diagrams and ability to locate points and to determine the phases present in ternary diagrams under given conditions.
• Capability to use the Fe-C diagram and the transformation curves of steels and cast irons in order to modify their microstructures and properties by means of thermal treatments.
• Capability to prepare samples for metalographic observation, and also to perform thermal treatments and to analyse the microstructures of iron-based alloys using the optical microscope.
• Capability to use the equilibrium diagrams to study the most important non-ferrous alloys and to define the corresponding thermal treatments.
• Capability to use the equilibrium diagrams in ceramic systems and also  to control the properties of these materials from the knowledge of  their manufacturing processes.
• Capability to assess the properties of plastic materials from their structural characteristics and their manufacturing processes.
• Capability to assess the properties of composite materials from the properties of the single ones used to  make them. 

Attitudes

• To encourage the student interest to adquire scientific knowledge .
• The student will have the ability to apply all its adquired knowledge into the enginering field.
• To form an open and critic way of thinking

The contents of the subject "Materials Science" have been arranged as follows:  

Chapter 1. Structures of solids, structural defects an diffusion phenomena.

Chapter 2. Mechanical, electrical, magnetic, thermal and optical behaviour of materials.

Chapter 3. Equilibrium diagrams, solidification and solid state transformations.

Chapter 4. Steels and cast irons. Fe-C diagram, solid state transformations and thermal treatments.

Chapter 5. Non-ferrous alloys. Equilibrium diagrams and general properties.

Chapter 6. Traditional and advanced ceramics. Structures, properties and applications.

Chapter 7. Polymers. Polymerization, structures, families and properties of industrial plastics.

        Chapter 8. Composite materials. Types of composite materials, interfaces and  control of their properties.  

The teaching activities of the subject have been organized according to the following learning modalities.  

1. Presential work
   1. Expositive classes 
   2. Practical exercices 
   3. Laboratory classes 
   4. Groupal sessions 

1. Non-presential work (individual work) 

In the expositive classes the teacher will develop the theoretical contents of the subject and will show different examples of application of them, while in the classes corresponding to practical exercices, the teacher will solve some of the previously selected exercices, but the students are also intended to start to solve certain other similar exercicies under the tuition of the teacher.  

Different laboratory classes will also be  carried out, in which the students will use the equipments and techniques availables in order to perform different tests and analysis, after the revision of the existing experimental methodologies, according to the corresponding standards. The following laboratory classes have been planified :

Lab 1. Metallographic sample preparation and grain size determination (1 hour).

Lab 2. Plastic deformation and recrystallization  (1 hour).

Lab 3. Tensile test (1 hour).

Lab 4. Hardness and notch impact tests (1 hour).

Lab 5. Defects on cast and forged products (1 hour).

Lab 6. Steel making process (1 hour).

Lab 7. Thermal treatments of steels and cast irons (2 hours).

Lab 8. Steels and cast irons microstructures (2 hours).

Lab 9. Non-ferrous alloys and ceramics  (2 hours).

Lab 10. Plastics and composite materials  (2 hours).

Table1 shows the time distribution of the different chapters and sub-chapters comprising the subject (chapter 1 has been divided into 2 subchapters and chapter 2 into three ones), according to the different learning modalities already mentioned.

Table 1. Subject contents distribution

Table 2 gives the hourly distribution of the subject among the diferent learning modalities.  

Table 2. Hourly distribution among the different learning modalities  

Table 3 finally shows the subject development along the 14 weeks of the semester.  

Table 3. Subject development in weeks

Exceptionally, if sanitary conditions require it, non-classroom teaching activities may be included. In this case, the student body will be informed of the changes made.

 

It will not be estrictly necesary to attend the different classes modalities but, nevertheless, the student is intended to do the different proposed exercices and laboratory work in order to be continuously evaluated, and this type of evaluation will always be carried out, except in some well justified exceptionally cases. This part of the evaluation has a value of 1 over 10.

Moreover, five short  exams (15-20 minutes each one) will also take place along the subject development, consisting in solving some simple exercices and the answer to theoretical questions.  

Exam 1. Solid structures (chapter 1)

Exam 2. Materials behaviour (chapter 2)

Exam 3. Diagrams and transformations (chapter 3)

Exam 4. Steels and cast irons  (chapter 4)

Exam 5. Non-ferrous alloys, ceramics, polymers and composite  (chapters  5, 6, 7 and 8)

The final value of all these exams will be 3 points over 10.  

Finally, a final exam will be carried out over the whole content of the subject, which will include exercices, theoretical questions and questions about the laboratory classes. The value of the final exam will be 6 points over 10. Moreover, in order to pass the subject a minimum of 4 (over 10) wiil be necesarry in this final exam.

Summary of the subject learning evaluation

• Individual student work: 1 point
• Short exams: 3 points.
• Final exam: 6 points.

The students that had not attended the continuous evaluation (well motivated justification will be needed), have to do the laboratoy work and the final exam. In these cases a mark in the final exam higher than 5 over 10 will be required.

The students that had not passed the subject at the first time (in the month of may), can attend other evaluations (july and january of the next year). These extraordinary evaluations will consist in a final exam on the whole content of the subject, which will include exercices, theoretical questions and questions about the laboratory classes. A minimum of 5 points over 10 will be required to pass any of  these exams.

Exceptionally, if sanitary conditions require it, non-face-to-face evaluation methods may be included. In this case, the student body will be informed of the changes made.

A text book written by the teachers of this subject will be available to all the students and will be the first reference to study the main contents of the subject. A collection of typical problems with their numerical solutions will also be available to all the students. Some of these problems will be solved during the different classes and others will be solved by the students as part of their individual work.  Finally, the students will also have the documents corresponding to the laboratory classes, which may be filled and given to the thier corresponding teachers as a final part of their individual homework.

The following specialized  books present in the general Gijón campus library and/or in the library of the Materials Science department in Gijón are also recommended to be used as a learning aid (most of them have also english versions):

• Ashby, M. F. y  Jones, D. R. H., Materiales para Ingeniería, Vol. 1 y 2, Edit. Reverté, 2008.
• Askeland D.R., Ciencia e ingeniería de los materiales, Paraninfo Thomson Learning, 2001.
• Callister W.D., Introducción a la ciencia e ingeniería de los materiales, Vol. 1 y 2, Edit. Reverté, Barcelona, 1995.
• Flinn R.A. y Trojan P.K., Engineering materials and their applications, Houghton Mifflin Co., 1990
• Mangonon P.L., Ciencia de Materiales. Selección y diseño. Prentice Hall, 2001.
• Schakelford J. F., Introducción a la ciencia de materiales para ingenieros, Prentice Hall, 2010.
• Smith W.F., Fundamentos de la ciencia e ingeniería de materiales, Mc Graw-Hill Interamericana, 2004.
• Van Vlack L.H., Elements of materials science and engineering, Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 1989.