EGR 133 Artifacts in Modern Society.
A theme based course.
Richard Brown
website for the course:-
Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering, ext 42707, .
Summary
In this course materials science will be introduced to freshman students using a “case study” approach. The student population for this course is non science and engineering students for their natural sciences general education credits. The aim is to identify an article that is of current interest to society, for example the first object to be studied will be a wind turbine, very much in vogue as part of “alternate energy” and a “green” process. The materials of construction will be identified, and the science supporting these materials will be investigated. The articles chosen will be done so to ensure a wide range of materials usage requiring a wide range of scientific background in natural sciences. Other artifacts for future years include a fuel cell (“alternate energy” and a “green” process), artificial joints and organs ( health and biotechnology), low carbon footprint aircraft (green process), which can be investigated over the next few years.
Syllabus for Year 1- Wind Turbine.
Week 1. Format of course – break into discussion groups, where to obtain information, such as the Internet by searching company sites such as General Electric, Siemens etc, on wind turbines and other sources.
Week 2. Discussion of requirements – introduction to the language of science, such as stress and strain, fatigue, alloy, phase, etc.
Week 3. Do we use the same materials for structure and power generation? Concepts of conductivity and resistivity of materials.
Week 4. What about the tower, questions to ask such as what it is made of and why, concepts such as stiffness and elasticity should be developed
Week 5. Shafts and gears and what have they got to do with horseshoes, ultra high strength steels. Concepts here include wear, high strength, non equilibrium processes.
Week 6. Blades – why are they made from fiberglass and what is the science behind glass fiber production and polymers
Week 7. Possible Visit to TPI to view blade manufacture technology and write a report on the trip.
Week 8. How are safety issues handled, what are ultrasonics, Xrays? how do they work.
Week 9. Why sunshine is bad for paints, and corrosion of metals. Concepts include materials degradation, and some basic electrochemistry.
Week 10. How do you increase the lifetime and durability of components. Concepts of coatings, paints, zinc coatings, spraying compared to dipping.
Week11. How do you hold the components together? How do you make nuts and bolts? Concepts of plastic deformation.why are some materials stronger than others. Concept dislocations, multiphase materials.
Week 12. Is wood any good for blades? Concept of natural sustainable materials compared to man made composites. Other composites.
Week 13. Failure Science – why components break. Concept of mechanisms of materials failure by overload, fatigue and creep.
Grading.
Homeworks – Problem sets 30%, Reports 30%. Problem sets will be alternate weeks. The reports, also on alternate weeks , will be group reports that will produce information from a number of sources.
Exams – 40%. There will be four graded exams, three during the semester and one final exam. The three exams during the semester will be during week three , week six and week nine. These will be one hour exams.
Policies.
Problem sets - must be submitted when specified by the instructor. No late submissions.
Reports - must be submitted when specified by the instructor. No late submissions.
Exams – no make up exam without prior instructor permission. Permission will only be provided in exceptional circumstances. You may only bring a pencil into the classroom at exam time.
Classes start when specified.
Cell phones and other electrical devices to be turned of during class.
Use information technology
Write effectively.