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Thermochemical Processing (MATSE 422)
This three credit, senior
level course is concerned with physico-chemical aspects
of high temperature extraction and processing of metals and alloys. An important goal of materials engineering is
to efficiently produce metals and alloys of specific
composition. Familiar examples include the tonnage production of metals and
alloys, the production of ultra-high purity electronic materials such as
silicon and germanium, and the deposition of thin films for various
applications. In this course the students get an
understanding of the physical and chemical principles underlying these
operations and how these principles are applied in industrial practice. The
students get ample opportunities to apply
thermodynamics, kinetics, and transport phenomena to understand why the
processes currently in use work. Furthermore, they learn how to marshal
information for the design of projected new processes and process options. Broadly stated, the topics include solid-state reactions,
production of liquid metals, and processing, all carried out at high
temperatures. The topics are covered in a set of
lecture notes available from the instructor. The lectures are accompanied by
about fifteen problems sets in the form of home work
and class work so that the students experience first-hand how the principles of
thermodynamics and rate processes are applied in solving important problems in
thermochemical processing.
Properties and Processing
of Engineering Materials (MATSE 259)
This course
serves as an introduction to the structure, processing, and properties of
materials for undergraduate sophomore level engineering students. This is a
required course for students in Industrial Engineering and Mechanical
Engineering, and an elective course for other majors. The course seeks to provide an introduction to the crystal structures and
microstructures of metals and alloys, including solid solutions and multiple
phase alloys. It discusses the
principles behind heat treatment of metals and alloys in terms of diffusion and
phase diagrams and provides an understanding of the relationship of structure
and processing variables to the properties and service behavior of metals. The
control of mechanical properties through the use of
diffusion and methods for changing the ease of dislocation motion in
metallic structures are explored. It addresses how the structure and
processing variables affect the properties of metals, alloys and
polymeric materials of interest to engineers. The mechanical behavior
of these materials is discussed in
terms of their phase constitution and heat treatment. Mechanisms of
failure of engineering materials and their prevention are studied.
Corrosion, a major problem in the applications of metals and alloys, is discussed. Finally, methods for the selection
of materials for specific applications are outlined.
Computational Materials
Science – Continuum Simulations (MATSE 581)
This graduate level
course focuses on computational techniques and fundamentals of materials
processing simulations on the continuum, mesocale
level. The objective of the course is to integrate fundamental principles in
thermodynamics and kinetics with advanced computational approaches. The
teaching is problem-oriented and includes solution of mathematical and physical
problems by simulation of random quantities; Monte Carlo modeling; normal grain
growth and understanding of grain structure evolution and topological features
of grains through Monte Carlo simulation. The topics also include numerical
heat transfer, fluid flow and mass transfer; transient diffusion of carbon in
iron; flow of liquid metal in a continuous casting tundish;
velocity and temperature fields in a weld pool; effects of surface active
elements on heat transfer and liquid metal flow in a weld pool. Thermodynamic
stability of inclusions, the effects of temperature, time, and chemical
composition of steel on the growth and dissolution of inclusions in liquid
steel. The course also introduces
gradient and genetic algorithm (GA) based optimization techniques. Examples
include curve fitting, solution of simultaneous equations and determination of
Johnson-Mehl-Avrami
equation parameters for ferrite to austenite transformation in steel welds. A
few computer programs, to illustrate these principles are distributed to the
students to gain hands-on experience in computer simulation. This course is
particularly useful for students who seek to explore the power of computational
approaches to understand computational materials processing.