Electrical and Mechanical Materials

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Calculate beam deflection and twisting of shafts.
• Select suitable materials for engineering applications
• Analyse simple mechanical systems.
• Understand materials structure and properties

Knowledge and Understanding

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

• Properties of magnetic materials for electrical systems.
• Basics of beams and structural analysis.
• Electromechanical properties of matter.
• The physical and engineering principles underlying the response of materials to electric and magnetic fields.
• Conduction and polarisation mechanisms in insulators.
• Relations between stress, strain and deformation

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Explain the design principles for simple mechanical devices
• Relate structure and composition to material magnetic properties
• Determine the electrical properties of materials.

Dielectric materials

• 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

Mechanics of Engineering structures

• Stress, strain and deformation, elastic and plastic deformation
• Tension, compression and torsion
• Electret materials, triboelectric series.

Piezo-electricity, ferro-electricity, pyro-electricity

Engineering Mechanics

Theory of Beams

• Shear forces, bending moment distributions and deformation
• Stress-strain relationship in pure bending
• Section modulus and flexural rigidity, properties of areas
• Deflection of beams due to bending moments, effects of support conditions, double-integration method and Macaulay's notations
• Beams made of dissimilar material
• Eccentric loading and Asymmetrical bending
• Statically Indeterminate Beams

Strain Energy

• Elastic strain energy, normal stress and shear, strain energy in bending
• Buckling Buckling instability, effects of support conditions.

Metallurgy and magnetic materials

• 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, magnetic properties

The content of this module is delivered through lectures, module website, directed reading, pre-recorded materials and tutorials.

Students work on their understanding through a combination of independent study, preparation for timetabled activities, tutorials and problem classes, along with formative assessments in the form of coursework assignments and problem sheets.

Students work on their practical skills and technical understanding in technical laboratories.

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.