- UCAS course code
- F206
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Master of Engineering (MEng)
MEng Materials Science and Engineering with Nanomaterials
- Typical A-level offer: AAA including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36 points overall with 6,6,6 at HL, including specific requirements
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £38,000 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
For information about scholarships and bursaries please see our undergraduate fees pages and check the Department's funding pages .
Course unit details:
Mechanical Behaviour
Unit code | MATS16102 |
---|---|
Credit rating | 10 |
Unit level | Level 4 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 2 |
Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
This unit provides an introductory level, overview, of the mechanical behaviour of engineering materials, including how different types of mechanical behaviour are defined and the mechanisms that control them, in relation to their structures; illustrated with examples from all material classes.
Aims
The unit aims to:
- Provide an overview of the different types of mechanical behaviour of all material classes for design purposes and predicting in-service life,
- Introduce the continuum solid mechanics approach to describe stress states and mechanical loading of materials.
- Introduce the mechanisms that control the mechanical behaviour of materials and how they are affected by its structure at different length scales.
Learning outcomes
A greater depth of the learning outcomes will be covered in the following sections:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Intellectual skills
- Practical skills
- Transferable skills and personal qualities
Teaching and learning methods
Pre-recorded materials and written lecture notes (available on Blackboard), face-to-face activities and revision sessions, small group tutorials (problem sessions), on-line self-assessment quizzes, recommended textbooks, web resources, past exam papers, peer-assisted study sessions (PASS).
Knowledge and understanding
- Compare and discuss the mechanical behaviour of different materials classes.
- Define the stress tensor and the (small) strain tensor.
- Define volumetric and deviatoric strains and hydrostatic and deviatoric stresses.
- Understand the relationship between stress and strain in isotropic elasticity.
- Define stiffness and compliance, Young’s modulus, Shear modulus, Bulk Modulus, Poisson’s ratio.
- Understand the tensile test and how to use it to obtain material properties.
- Define the Von Mises and Tresca yield criteria.
- Understand the slab model of composite mechanics and define upper (Voigt) and lower (Reuss) bounds for composite stiffness.
- Describe the mechanisms of plastic deformation and strengthening of crystalline materials in terms of simple dislocation concepts.
- Demonstrate an understanding of fracture toughness and the different fracture behaviours of materials.
- Be aware of the factors that affect fatigue and creep in materials.
- Describe and show an understanding of the effect of the glass transition temperature on the properties of polymers and their viscoelastic behaviour.
- Be able to link a materials structure to its properties, in general terms.
Intellectual skills
- Show improved logical reasoning, problem solving and ability in applied mathematics.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the effect of changing the chemistry and microstructure/architecture of a material on its properties.
Practical skills
- Perform continuum mechanics calculations: obtain stress from (elastic) strains, and vice-versa, calculate deviatoric components, equivalent stresses. Calculate the stiffness of single composite lamina
- Perform simple calculations of material properties and safe design limits; e;g; the critical stress for fast fracture.
- Carry out, and analyse the results from, tensile and impact fracture tests on materials
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Convert word problems into equations and numerical answers.
- Develop techniques for estimating the results from calculations.
- Work effectively in a group to solve problems.
- Compose simple technical reports on laboratory tests.
Assessment methods
Method | Weight |
---|---|
Written exam | 70% |
Written assignment (inc essay) | 30% |
Feedback methods
Feedback given (written)
Recommended reading
- “Materials Science and Engineering”, W. D. Callister, and D. G. Rethwisch, Pub. Wiley, 10th edition, 2020.
- “Materials engineering, science, processing and design”, M.F. Ashby H.R. Shercliff and D. Cebon, Butterworth-Heinemann, 3rd edition, 2013.
- “Engineering materials 1: An introduction to properties, applications and design”, M. F. Ashby, D. R. H. Jones, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2nd edition, 1996.
- “Introduction to dislocations”, D. Hull and D.J. Bacon, Butterworth-Heinemann 5th edition, 2011.
- “Introduction to Polymers”, R.J. Young, P.A. Lovell Taylor & Francis Group, 3rd edition, 2011.
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
---|---|
Lectures | 20 |
Independent study hours | |
---|---|
Independent study | 80 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
---|---|
Alec Davis | Unit coordinator |