Materials: Engineering and Science

MECH S213 is a core course within the degree programmes in Product Design, Testing and Certification. MECH S213 is offered on an 18-month cycle.

Advisory prerequisite(s)
You are advised to have already studied SCI S121 and PHYS S271 (or an equivalent physics course outside the OUHK). A self-diagnostic test is available from the Registry and the Information Centre, free of charge, to help you to decide whether you have the required knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry.

Aims
This course aims to:

• Familiarize students with the fundamental concept of the 'product-property-process relationship'. The idea is that the design of a product must take into account the properties of the material from which it is made and the process(es) by which that material is shaped into the form of the product;
• Present models for explaining how the internal structure of a material determines the properties of that material;
• Train students in selecting a material and a process route for the manufacture of a given product;
• Illustrate the breadth and diversity of materials that have been developed to meet a wide range of load-bearing applications;
• Reveal the inter-relationships between structure, properties, processing and function as elaborated by short case studies of material selection for actual products. The examples chosen cover not only the conventional engineering materials such as steel, plastics and ceramics, but also high-performance materials such as advanced composites and high temperature alloys, on the one hand, and more everyday materials such as textiles, paper and timber on the other;
• Show the frequent necessity of balancing the need for good mechanical performance with requirements such as environmental resistance, cost, ease of processing and the weight of a product.

Contents
The course covers the following topics:

• Materials — principles and practice
  • Products, properties, processes and principles
  • The nature of materials
  • An atomic view of solids
  • Temperature as an agent of change
  • Controlling the mix
  • Mechanical properties for processing and use
  • Chemical properties for processing and use
• Structural materials
  • A design task — a bus shelter
  • Nonferrous metals
  • Iron and steel
  • Ceramics and glasses
  • Polymeric materials
  • Fibres and fibre assemblies
  • Composite materials
  • Cement, concrete and reinforced concrete
  • Selection of materials — a case study

Learning support
There will be tutorials and surgeries. In addition, there are two compulsory weekend day schools carried out in the presence of tutors to enable you to develop experimental skills. You must attend these compulsory weekend day schools to get credit for the course.

Assessment
There are eight assignments of which four are multiple-choice assignments and a final examination. Students are required to submit assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

Equipment and software 
Students will need access to a computer with Microsoft Windows XP or higher. You will also need access to a television set for viewing the TV programmes, a video recorder for playing video-cassettes and an audio-cassette player for playing five audio-cassette tapes. Video course materials will be available for viewing in the OUHK library.

Set book(s)
There are no set books for this course.

Students with disabilities or special educational needs
If you have severe manipulative or visual disabilities which would interfere with experimental work or your appreciation of complex diagrams, you will be at a serious disadvantage. You are encouraged to seek advice from the Course Coordinator before enrolling on the course.