MEng Mechanical Engineering with Management

This course unit detail provides the framework for delivery in 20/21 and may be subject to change due to any additional Covid-19 impact.  Please see Blackboard / course unit related emails for any further updates

Composite materials are finding increasing application in various engineering fields due to its advantages over conventional structure materials.  This unit covers a wide range of topics on composite materials and polymers, including materials, manufacturing techniques and mechanics of composite materials and structures. The intended learning outcomes are focussed on the basic knowledge of composites and understanding of the design and analysis of composite structures and manufacturing.

The unit will enable students to consider the options of using polymer composites and make a reasonable choice of composites for new design purposes taking account of appropriate manufacturing process. Students will develop skills for the design and analysis of advanced engineering composite structures (aerospace, naval, automotive, etc) in the future.

For students to:

1. Describe the concept of composites and their applications in engineering;
2. Use basic principles and means for design and analysis of simple structures made of composites;

Familiarise with a range of typical manufacture processing techniques.

1. Introduction to composite materials

Describes what are composite materials, their characteristics, advantages/disadvantages and applications.

2. Mechanical behaviourof composite material

Review isotropic elasticity.  Explains the material behaviour of composites:  stress-strain relationship, elastic engineering constants, stiffness in any direction, mechanics of lamina.

3. Mechanical behaviourof composite laminate

Derive the constitutive law for composite laminate, discuss the stiffness of composite laminate, explain how to perform stress analysis of laminate. Reveal how the fibre orientation angle and ply stacking sequence affect the laminate stiffness and strength.

4. Failure of composite materials and structures

Introduce two widely used failure criteria for composites: Maximum stress and Tsai-wu criteria, explain how to apply them to failure analysis of composites.  Introduce the method how to model the progressive damage initiation and propagation in composites.

5. Micromechanics of composite materials

Explain how to predict the effective material properties of composites based on its constituents, discuss the failure mechanisms of composites.

6. Composite laminate design

Introduce the general design rules, how to use Carpet Plot method and perform laminate design via an example.

7. Materials

Introduce the concept of polymer, classification, bonding and structure, major thermo-physical properties. Discuss processing technologies; classify the types of fibres/mats/reinforcements (glass, carbon, graphene, kevlar, natural fibres, etc.)

8. Manufacturing processes of polymer matrix composites.

Introduce major technological processes inc

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