436-463 Advanced Materials

Credit Points

HECS Band

Coordinator

Semester

Contact

Subject Description

Upon completion students should: understand the most common polymer and composite materials and develop an appreciation of the interrelationship between the structure, processing and properties of materials and of key factors in the selection of appropriate materials for specific applications.

Topics covered include: basic concepts. The glass transition and secondary relaxations in amorphous and semi-crystalline polymers. Fracture mechanics. Impact. Environmental stress cracking. Crazing. Creep. Rational mechanical design data for polymers and composites. Dielectric relaxation spectrometry. Polymer blends. Case studies which illustrate the interdependence between component function, material properties, manufacturing processes and design.

Assessment

Project work and assignments to a maximum of 5000 words or equivalent; one examination not exceeding three hours. Students will be notified of the weighting of assessment components at the beginning of semester.