Advanced Materials (MCEN90052)

Engineers explore performance limits, pushing engineering materials while ensuring reliable operation. This subject introduces the internal structures of materials that provide the required mechanical properties. It will also present a modern computational materials framework—now used in leading engineering companies—to model material deformation and predict failure.  

This subject will emphasise the relationships between microstructure and properties, highlighting their crucial roles in elastic and plastic deformation, time-dependent deformation (creep), and material failure. In weekly workshops, students will actively explore and test the structure-property relationships through hands-on activities. They will also learn step-by-step modern Python tools to analyse and predict material behaviour and structure. The student project will empower them to examine current capabilities for predicting the mechanical behaviours applicable to various materials, including metals, functional materials, composites, and polymers. 

Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to: 

• Illustrate the origins of materials' strength.
• Explain the structure-property-processing relation in the mechanical behaviour of materials.
• Explain linear elastic properties of materials.
• Explain multiscale character of plasticity and failure in materials.
• Establish links between theoretical concepts and observed phenomena; identify problems and formulate informed solution strategies.
• Recommend appropriate models for mechanical strength.
• Interpret materials failure and deduce the cause of failure.
• Expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in an interdisciplinary field.
• Describe contemporary issues in the research on mechanical behaviour of materials.

Generic skills

• Capacity for independent thought.
• Ability to apply knowledge of engineering science and engineering methods to solve complex problems.
• Ability to comprehend complex concepts and effectively communicate this understanding.
• Gain proficiency in materials engineering.
• Ability to function effectively as an individual and in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.