436-437 Advanced Materials and Testing

Unit 1, Materials: 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; and case studies which illustrate the interdependence between component function, material properties, manufacturing processes and design.

Unit 2, Thermography: Upon completion, students should be able to describe the characteristics of common non-destructive materials tests and the role of thermography in NDT; relate the operation of thermographic equipment to the physics of infrared thermal radiation; understand the functioning of industrial infrared radiometers; and obtain meaningful thermograms and analyse the results.

Topics covered include common non-destructive tests; sources of heat; electromagnetic radiation; infrared sub-spectrum; construction of thermographic equipment; performance measures; requirements for quantitative assessment; operation of equipment; and analysis of thermograms.