Materials

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Understand engineering aspects of these materials and the metallurgy involved in the production of special electrical materials
• Appreciate applications and advantages of high temperature superconducting materials
• Explain material response to electric and magnetic fields

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Apply theories related to superconducting materials
• Understand materials structure and properties
• Select suitable materials for engineering applications

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Measure electrical properties of materials
• Relate structure and composition to material magnetic properties

Dielectric material (16)

• Polarisation mechanisms at the microscopic and macroscopic levels, frequency dependence of polarisation, dipole moments, complex permittivity, Arrhenius equation, electronic polarisation,
• Clausius-Mosotti relationship, Maxwell-Wagner interfacial polarisation, dipolar polarisation, Debye equations, Cole-Cole plot.
• Electrical conduction mechanisms, charge injection mechanisms, space charge limited current, hopping conduction process
• Electret materials, triboelectric series.
• Piezo-electricity, ferro-electricity, pyro-electricity

High temperature superconductivity (4)

• Historical development of superconducting materials
• Engineering materials at low temperature, economic benefits, properties of HT c superconductors, Type I and Type II superconductors, Meissner effect, critical current density, Cooper pairs, BSC theory.

Superconducting Applications (4)

• Josephson junction and flux quantisation
• Principle of SQUID operation
• Power apparatus, cables and current limiter, energy storage systems

Metallurgy and magnetic materials (12)

• Importance of phase constitution and crystal orientation in conducting and magnetic materials. Conducting alloy systems and structure
• Soft magnetic materials, iron-silicon alloys, recrystallisation, grain orientated material and properties, iron-nickel alloys, importance of ordering and magnetic annealing, soft ferrites and garnets, powder metallurgy and principles of sintering, magnetic properties and uses and economic factors of magnetic sheet steel.
• Hard magnetic materials, alnico alloys, fine particle magnets, rare earth alloys, barium ferrites, production and uses, comparison of ferrites and alnico alloys
• Storage and recording

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.