EGB414 Advanced Materials

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Gardens Point, Internal

Overview

With a rapidly growing and ageing world population, the need for novel materials with advanced properties to address critical issues from structure to energy, environment and healthcare is increasing. You will be introduced to advanced materials including functional metallic alloys, ceramic, polymers, composites, and nanostructured materials and examined in more depth in the context of their properties, processing, performance and their applications in robust designs. Where appropriate, relevant engineering cases, research papers that outline the latest developments in research, and laboratory experiments will be provided to an in-depth understanding of the selected material or applications. This is an advanced engineering unit that is built from knowledge and skills you previously learned in EGB214 Materials and Manufacturing. It is covers advanced engineering materials and their applications.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Discuss emerging engineering materials and their potential uses in current and future applications
2. Analyse key principles that govern materials design and selection in laboratory experiments
3. Analyse and explain degradation mechanisms and mechanical failure of advanced materials
4. Investigate advanced engineering materials in real case studies and presented the findings
5. Explain current issues and challenges in the translation of scientific discoveries and integration of advanced engineering materials in real world applications

Content

Learning Approaches

In this unit you can expect to experience the following timetabled activities:

• Formal interactive lectures from experienced professional engineers and scientist cover the main concepts with real world applications and examples to give you insight into basic engineering knowledge, skills and attributes.    
• Workshops in a flexible learning space will provide hands-on experience and insight into the principles of advanced material to support the topics covering in the lecture and the case study.
• Practicals in laboratory space guided by experienced demonstrators to perform laboratory exercises in a group to verify or understand the concepts covered in the lectures and be able to interpret the data to critically reflect the results obtained.

To complement the timetabled activities and complete your learning in this unit, you will be provided online resources and activities the unit's Canvas website:

• Informative recap videos as extra problem solving resources to enhance your problem solving approach, skills and knowledge.
• Basic materials such as notes, handouts, and Echo360 recordings.

You are expected to:

• Engage with timetabled activities on campus and ask questions. You should follow the weekly guide and announcements from Canvas on the online materials that should be completed prior to attending timetabled activities on campus.
• Engage with the online materials for developing your understanding of fundamental concepts. These will be available on the unit Canvas site. You will receive regular email announcements regarding release of these resources.
• Manage your time to engage with online resources outside of timetabled activities. 
• Engage with your peers during the interactive workshops and the teamwork assessment tasks. 
• Complete assessment tasks by working consistently across the semester and meeting the due dates that are published via the unit Canvas site.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will receive informal verbal feedback on your progress in this unit during workshops and discussions throughout the semester. Written feedback will be provided with each summative assessment throughout the semester.

Assessment

Overview

Criterion based assessment (rubrics) will be used to evaluate the unit learning outcomes of your work.
The assessment consists of ongoing formative and summative assessments that are based on independent and group work. The assessment items allow you to demonstrate your technical knowledge in the topic, observation of real world and communication skills as well as laboratory practical skills.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Laboratory Report

You will engage in laboratory experiment and submit a written report of your observation. You will demonstrate your ability to critically analyse your laboratory data using the knowledge you have acquired from the lectures and your reading of scientific literature. The report will be individual as a single final document.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Presentation

You will select a topic and conduct a literature review to identify significant opportunities and challenges in the area of modern engineering materials and applications and propose solutions that will either address the existing challenge or have the potential to improve an existing process/product. You will present your findings in a small group.

Assessment: Final examination (theory)

Final examination is mainly problem solving questions and conceptual questions with both familiar and unfamiliar questions.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Recommended text(s)

Ashby, M. F. and Jones, Engineering Materials 2 - An Introduction to Microstructures, Processing and Design, , D.R.H, 2005, Butterworth-Heinemann, 3rd Edition.

Ashby, M.F., Materials Selection in Mechanical Design, 2003, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2nd Edition.

Askeland, D.R., The Science and Engineering of Materials, 2003, PWS Publishing, 4th Edition.

Callister, W.D. and Rethwisch D.G., Materials Science and Engineering - An Integrated Approach, 2009, John Wiley & Sons, Edition: 9th Edition

Smith, W. F., Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering, 2004, McGraw-Hill, 3rd Edition.

Risk Assessment Statement

You will undertake lectures and workshops in the traditional classrooms and lecture theatres. As such, there are no extraordinary workplace health and safety issues associated with these components of the unit. You should have undergone a general health and safety induction and competency test online and received a safety induction certificate with a sticker on your ID card. You will be required to undertake practical sessions in the laboratory and visit to industrial site under the supervision of the lecturers. If you do not have a general safety induction certificate or sticker you will be denied access to laboratories and/or visit to industrial site. In any laboratory practicals you will be advised further of requirements of safe and responsible behaviour and will be required to wear appropriate protective items. You should have undergone a general health and safety induction and competency test online and received a safety induction certificate with a sticker on your ID card.

Note: You will be required to undertake practical sessions in the laboratory and you may be required to visit an industrial site under the supervision of QUT lecturers. If you do not have a general safety induction certificate or sticker you will be denied access to laboratories and/or visit to industrial site. In any laboratory practicals you will be advised further regarding the requirements for safe and responsible behaviour and will be required to wear appropriate protective items (e.g. closed shoes or gumboot shoes).

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineer

1: Knowledge and Skill Base

1. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Final examination (theory)
2. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Presentation, Final examination (theory)
3. 
   Relates to: Presentation

2: Engineering Application Ability

1. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Presentation, Final examination (theory)
2. 
   Relates to: Laboratory Report, Final examination (theory)

3: Professional and Personal Attributes

1. 
   Relates to: Presentation

Course Learning Outcomes

EN01 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)

1. Display leadership, creativity, and initiative in both self-directed and collaborative contexts of professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO5
2. Manage projects to solve complex engineering problems, using appropriate information, engineering methods, and technologies.
   Relates to: ULO2, Laboratory Report
3. Deploy appropriate approaches to engineering design and quality.
   Relates to: ULO2
4. Demonstrate coherent knowledge and skills of physical, mathematical, statistical, computer, and information sciences that are fundamental to professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO3, ULO5, Final examination (theory)
5. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of one engineering discipline, its research directions, and its application in contemporary professional engineering practice.
   Relates to: ULO1, ULO4, ULO5, Final examination (theory)