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Courses

 

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.