Syllabus

Materials Science

1. Properties of Materials
1.1 Distinguish between metals, ceramics, polymers and composites.
1.2 Distinguish between mechanical, physical and chemical properties of materials.
1.3 Be able to calculate stress and tensile strength of materials.
1.4 Distinguish between elastic and plastic strain.
1.5 Understand the meaning of Young’s Modulus of a material.
1.6 Be able to define hardness of a material.
1.7 Be aware of the concept of resistivity and magnetic materials.
1.8 Appreciate the importance of strength/weight ratio in the selection of materials.
1.9 Understand the importance of chemical properties such as corrosion and oxidation resistance in a selection of materials.
1.10 Appreciate the factors that govern the selection of a material for a given application.

2. Mechanical Properties and their evaluation
2.1 Define tensile stress in a material.
2.2 Differentiate between different forms of stress.
2.3 Define strain in a material.
2.4 Appreciate the significance of elastic moduli and their relationship to stress and strain.
2.5 Recognise that stress can occur in coatings and how this may be measured.
2.6 Interpret the shapes of force-extension diagrams obtained from the mechanical testing of materials.
2.7 Define yield stress, plastic deformation, tensile strength and ductility.
2.8 Calculate Young’s Modulus, yield stress, tensile strength and ductility using data obtained from force-extension data.
2.9 Appreciate the mechanical behaviour of ceramics and polymeric materials.
2.10 Be familiar with a practical method of evaluating the ductility of materials.
2.11 Define toughness in a material and appreciate how it is measured.
2.12 Distinguish between ductile and brittle failure.
2.13 Appreciate the nature of creep in materials.
2.14 Appreciate the nature of fatigue.
2.15 Appreciate the variety of bonding forces involved in adhesion and the difficulty of measuring adhesion.
2.16 Define wear and describe its measurement.

3. Architecture of solids
3.1 Describe the nature of the atom, core and valence electrons.
3.2 Know the nature of ionic bonds and their function.
3.3 Understand the nature of covalent bonds and their formation.
3.4 Describe the nature of metallic bonds and their formation.
3.5 Appreciate the partial ionic character of some covalent bonds.
3.6 Differentiate between thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers in terms of the different bonding involved.
3.7 Recognise the nature of crystalline and amorphous structures in materials in terms of the configuration and arrangement of atoms, ions and molecules within these structures and give examples of materials having such structures.
3.8 Explain how crystallinity may arise in thermopolymers.
3.9 Define and appreciate the significance of the melting temperature, Tm, and glass transition temperature, Tg, in polymers.
3.10 Explain the three-dimensional nature of lattices and the concept of the unit cell.
3.11 Describe the structure of simple cubic, bcc, fcc and cph materials.
3.12 Know how impurities may take up interstitial positions in lattices causing distortion and stress in the structure, and be able to relate such changes to the properties found in coatings.
3.13 Recognise the occurrence of preferred orientation and its significance in relation to the properties of coatings.
3.14 Differentiate between single and polycrystalline materials.
3.15 Appreciate and describe the nature of grain boundaries in ionic and metallic crystalline materials.
3.16 Relate the relative rates of the nucleation and growth processes to the grain size of a material.
3.17 Understand how process parameters may be used to control the structure of a material deposited from a fluid.

4. Phase Composition
4.1 Explain that melting and casting of metals is very important in the metallurgical industry.
4.2 Identify examples of high and low melting point metals.
4.3 Describe the method used to find the melting point of a pure metal.
4.4 Explain what happens when molten metal changes to a solid.
4.5 Define the term ‘latent heat of fusion’.
4.6 Describe the growth of dendrites.
4.7 Describe the formation of grain boundaries.
4.8 State the effect of grain size on mechanical properties and surface finish.
4.9 Understand the cause of casting defects - micro-porosity, shrinkage and hot tearing.
4.10 Discuss the reasons for the use of Phase Diagrams.
4.11 Explain how Phase Diagrams are constructed.
4.12 Compare cooling curves for a pure metal and an alloy.
4.13 Explain the meaning of the term ‘Solid Solution’.
4.14 Describe the cooling of an alloy in the Copper/Nickel system.
4.15 Describe the cooling of an alloy in the Lead/Tin system.
4.16 Explain the terms: binary, liquidus, solidus, equilibrium and eutectic.
4.17 Apply the Phase Rule to any binary diagram.
4.18 Apply the Lever Rule to determine the proportion of solid and liquid present in a two-phase field at a given temperature.
4.19 Explain the phenomenon of ‘coring’.
4.20 Explain what can be done to eliminate coring or to rectify coring.
4.21 Sketch the microstructure of a homogeneous solid solution.
4.22 Sketch the microstructure structure of a cast tin/lead alloy showing dendrites of solid solution in a background of eutectic.
4.23 Sketch the microstructure structure of a 62% tin/38% lead alloy.
4.24 Explain the following terms: homogeneous, coring, equi-axed grains and solid state diffusion.

5. Manufacture of Materials
5.1 Define and appreciate the significance of proof stress.
5.2 Discuss work hardening and the associated structural changes.
5.3 Classify the different processes involved in heat treatment and relate these to changes in the properties of the metal.
5.4 Appreciate the range of processes available for fabricating metals and alloys in the solid state.
5.5 Outline rolling processes.
5.6 Outline forging processes.
5.7 Outline extrusion processes as applied to metals.
5.8 Outline drawing processes.
5.9 Outline pressing processes.
5.10 Outline and evaluate the sand casting process and appraise its application to zinc alloy diecasting.
5.11 Describe the lost-wax casting process and recognise its application to the production of intricately-shaped castings and to high-melting alloys.
5.12 Appreciate the range of processes used to fabricate polymers.
5.13 Outline the extrusion process.
5.14 Outline the formation of polymer sheets.
5.15 Outline the blow-moulding process.
5.16 Outline the vacuum-forming process.
5.17 Outline the injection-moulding process and appreciate how process variables affect product quality.
5.18 Outline compressive moulding.
5.19 Define surface roughness and appreciate its significance.
5.20 Recognise that machining leads to mechanical working of the surface.
5.21 Be familiar with surface-hardening processes.
5.22 Differentiate between different surface blasting processes and appreciate their use in surface finishing.

6. Corrosion and Protection
6.1 Discuss reasons for corrosion control.
6.2 Explain how equilibrium is set up between a metal and a solution.
6.3 Explain how the Standard Electrode Potential of a metal is measured.
6.4 Calculate the value of cell voltage produced by combining half-cells.
6.5 Distinguish between electrode polarity in electroplating and corrosion.
6.6 Discuss anode and cathode reactions and the role of the electrolyte.
6.7 Discuss the thermodynamic approach to corrosion using Pourbaix diagrams.
6.8 Explain the connection between cell current and corrosion rate.
6.9 Interpret polarisation diagrams.
6.10 Discuss polarisation curves for metals that passivate.
6.11 Predict the effect of geometric design of components and plant upon corrosion resistance.
6.12 Evaluate materials for a given application in a corrosive environment.
6.13 Distinguish between different environments in which corrosion is possible.
6.14 Explain how corrosion may be prevented by cathodic protection and other electrical methods.
6.15 Explain how coatings reduce or prevent corrosion.
6.16 Discuss the phenomenon of uniform corrosion.
6.17 Explain the ways in which galvanic corrosion can affect metallic structures and explain how problems may be overcome.
6.18 Explain how crevice and pitting corrosion affect metals and explain means of overcoming related problems.
6.19 Discuss the de-alloying of metals during corrosion and show how this problem may be solved.
6.20 Discuss the intergranular attack of metals by corrosion and explain the means available to overcome this problem.
6.21 Explain the effect of erosion and corrosion acting together and explain how problems may be minimised or eliminated.
6.22 Explain the effect of conjoint action of stress and corrosion and explain how problems may be minimised or eliminated.

7. Examination of Materials
7.1 Explain the need to modify the surface of materials prior to their visual examination with and without magnification.
7.2 Discuss the limitations of the examination of materials using the naked eye.
7.3 Describe the main features of the metallurgical microscope and the preparation of cross-sections ready for examination using the microscope.
7.4 Appraise the usefulness of the metallurgical microscope in the optical examination of materials.
7.5 Describe the transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope.
7.6 Categorise the effects of electron bombardment on a material in terms of the resulting electron and X-ray emissions.
7.7 Discuss how the electrons and X-rays emitted as the result of the electron bombardment of material in the SEM can provide structural and analytical information.
7.8 Describe the preparation techniques used to prepare material for inspection in the SEM and TEM.
7.9 Explain the nature of X-ray diffraction.
7.10 Describe a method for determining X-ray differential plots at intensity versus two-theta where theta is the Bragg angle.
7.11 Interpret the main features of X-ray plots and obtain relative intensities and ‘d’ values from simple plots.
7.12 Discuss the application of X-ray diffraction to the examination of surface coatings.