ENME407-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025

Advanced Materials Science and Engineering

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 14 July 2025
End Date: Sunday, 9 November 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 27 July 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 28 September 2025

Description

Materials processing; phase transformations in metals and alloys; aluminium and ferrous alloys.

This course introduces students to the material thermodynamics and kinetics that underpin the materials science and engineering from introductory courses. Students will gain a deeper understanding of structure-processing-property-performance relations in metallic systems through lectures and laboratories.

Learning Outcomes

  • Washington Accord (V4) Summary of Graduate Attributes attained in this course:
     WA1 – Engineering Knowledge
     WA2 – Problem Analysis
     WA3 – Design/Development of Solutions
     WA4 – Investigation
     WA5 – Tool Usage
     WA9 – Communication

  • Course topics with Learning Outcomes (and Washington Accord (WA) and UC Graduate Attributes) identified.

    1. Thermodynamics and Phase Diagrams
            1.1. Understand models for chemical potential and activity of components in solution (WA1)
            1.2. Sketch the Gibbs free energy curves that correspond to simple phase diagrams (WA2, WA10) (EIE2)
            1.3. Predict the equilibrium structure of an alloy from a phase diagram (WA2) (EIE3)
            1.4. Calculate driving forces for phase transformations (WA2)
    2. Microstructural Characterisation
            2.1. Describe uses and limitations of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) (WA2, WA5, WA10) (EIE2)
    3. Diffusion
            3.1. Understand the different diffusion coefficients and when to use each (WA2) (EIE3)
            3.2. Solve diffusion problems corresponding to common materials processing routes (WA3, WA4)
    4. Crystalline Interfaces and Interface Migration
            4.1. Describe the relation between Gibbs free energy, phase stability and driving forces (WA2, WA10) (EIE2)
            4.2. Describe recovery, recrystallization and grain growth, when each is important and the effect on material properties (WA2, WA4, WA10) (EIE2, EIE3)
    5. Solidification
            5.1. Describe casting microstructures and casting defects and how to reduce them (WA2, WA3) (EIE3)
    6. Solid State Phase Transformations
            6.1. Calculate rates of transformation and understand relation to TTT diagrams (WA2, WA4)
            6.2. Apply equations of nucleation and growth to solidification and solid-state phase transformations (WA2)
    7. Aluminium alloys and Steels
            7.1. Describe the evolution of microstructures in Al alloys and steels during processing (WA2, WA10) (EIE2)
            7.2. Design processing routes to achieve desired properties in Al alloys and steels using CCT diagrams (WA3, WA5) (EIE3)
    8. Introduction to Welding
            8.1. Describe evolution of welding microstructures and resultant properties (WA2, WA10) (EIE2)

Prerequisites

Restrictions

Course Coordinator / Lecturer

Catherine Bishop

Assessment

Please refer to the course Learn page for details of assessment information.

Textbooks / Resources

Lecture Handouts:
Lecture slides are posted to LEARN. Some additional slides may be made available before lectures in Lecture section of the LEARN site.  You should bring slides to the lectures to annotate on either a soft or hard copy.

Required Reading Material:
Reading assignments will be given throughout the term. Completion of these assignments is essential for the course. To maximise learning, you must complete the reading from the required text, selected chapters of other books that will be posted on LEARN, and the additional references posted on LEARN.

Notes

For detailed course, policy, regulatory and integrity information, please refer to the UC web site, or see relevant Course or Department LEARN pages, (which are available to enrolled students).

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,268.00

International fee $6,238.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Mechanical Engineering .

All ENME407 Occurrences

  • ENME407-25S2 (C) Semester Two 2025