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- Catalog Description
- 362 Physical Metallurgy Laboratory. I; 2cr. Experiments in the study of structure, phase transformation and precipitation using current experimental analytical techniques and equipment. P:MS&E 352 or con reg & MS&E 361.
- Course Prerequisite(s)
- Prerequisite knowledge and/or skills
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metallographic skills including polishing and etching, optical microscopy, x-ray diffraction, hardness testing
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ability to prepare graphs and calculate simple statistics from experimental data
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ability to write technical reports and deliver technical presentations
- Textbook(s) and/or other required material
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An Introduction to Error Analysis: the Study of Uncertainties in Physical Measurements, John R. Taylor (Oxford University Press, Mill Valley CA 1982).
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Lecture notes and handouts provided by professor and TA
- Course objectives
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Students will learn some common methods of mechanical and electrical materials characterization and fabrication.
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Students will learn basic computer programming skills as applied to data acquisition and instrument control in LabVIEW.
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Students will further develop their skills in quantitative data analysis, technical writing, and technical presentation.
- Topics covered
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Superplasticity of Pb-Sn alloys: tensile testing of metal samples using a computer-controlled load frame; extensive data analysis to extract strain rate sensitivity exponent from true stress and true strain; obtaining superplastic behavior by limiting tensile instability.
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Brittle fracture of ceramics: fracture toughness of brittle ceramics and the role of crack-tip plasticity; weakest-link theory of failure and using Weibull statistics to predict rare but important failure events.
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Programming in LabVIEW: modular, top-down programming paradigm; mechanics of programming LabVEIW; instrument control and data acquisition by GPIB.
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p-n junction diode: principles of p-n junctions and doped semiconductors; fabrication of a p-n junction diode by diffusion of In into P-doped Ge; I-V testing using LabVIEW control of GPIB meters; Ohmic contacts to devices; contact and internal resistance.
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Thin film sputtering: thin film deposition by sputtering; vacuum systems; effects of process variables (e.g., argon pressure) on structure and properties of films; Thornton zone model of sputtered film structure structure; film thickness from profilometery; structure from SEM; roughness from AFM; measuring resistivity by four-probe van der Pauw method; correlation between structure and resistivity.
- Contribution of course to meeting the professional component
- This course contributes primarily to the students' knowledge of college-level mathematics and/or basic sciences and does provide experimental experience.
The following statement indicates which of the following considerations are included in this course: economic, environmental, ethical, political, societal, health and safety, manufacturability, sustainability.
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Students in this course are asked to consider the ethical responsbilities of engineering laboratory work and reporting, and the economic and manufacturability issues surrounding materials synthesis of bulk metals and thin films.
- Relationship of course to undergraduate degree program objectives and outcomes
- This course primarily serves students in the department. The information below describes how the course contributes to the undergraduate program objectives.
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This course provides a hands-on laboratory experience integrating structure-properties-process relations. It thus supports Objective 1: Foundation by enabling practical application of concepts discussed in lecture courses.
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This course supports Objective 2: Skills and Tools by giving students basic skills in laboratory science, measurement, and data analysis.
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This course supports Objective 3: Awareness through discussion of ethics in experimental science and reporting.
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This course supports Objective 4: Education by requiring students to perform independent experimental design and literature research as a model for life-long learning.
- Assessment of student progress toward course objectives
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Students progress and performance are evaluated through a technical memo or in-class presentation for each laboratory exercise, one full-length paper on a lab of the student's choice, and by short quizzes designed to test for thorough use of laboratory notebooks to record experiments.
- Person(s) who prepared this description
