MSc Advanced Engineering Materials
The masters programme in Advanced Engineering Materials provides you with an in-depth understanding of the key factors that govern the design and selection of materials for use in advanced engineering applications, as well as their processing, properties and stability.
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Industry impact
The course has direct relevance to the automotive and aerospace industries and encompasses materials ranging from composites and foams, for light weight structures, to advanced metallic alloys and engineering ceramics. The programme is delivered by academics, who are active researchers in the field, and complemented by strong industrial input.
This is a progressive and forward-thinking subject which will expose you to the next generation of high performance engineering materials. As a graduate of this programme, you will be equipped to begin a career as a material scientist in industry, or to join a PhD programme to further develop your research skills.
Advanced knowledge
By the end of the programme you will be familiar with the structure and design of materials and have an increased depth of knowledge of materials engineering, and the physical mechanisms that govern the microstructural development and performance of materials. In parallel, you will study more novel materials, such as metallic foams and metal matrix composites, and you will learn the basics of advanced characterisation techniques and design methods, with application to advanced structural materials.
The programme
The complete MSc programme is made up of taught course units and a five-month dissertation project (MSc) or six-week project report (Diploma). The taught course units are delivered through a combination of lectures, tutorial classes and practical laboratory work.
The course units, drawing together the disciplines of metallic, ceramic, polymeric, and composite materials science and engineering, are grouped under two subject areas:
- Structure of materials
- Design of materials
The six taught units are:
Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering
This introductory unit provides an overview of the key principles and concepts important in materials science, required as prerequisites for the more specialised units in the remainder of the course. The unit introduces the main characteristics of different classes of materials, reviews their structure at different length scales, from how they are bonded to the formation of phases and mesoscale organised units, as well as the fundamentals of their mechanical behaviour. It further introduces concepts important for understanding how a material's structure can be manipulated, or "engineered", including the significance of defects, the underlying thermodynamic driving force, phase equilibrium, phase transformations and reaction kinetics. The course is designed to reinforce concepts taught at an undergraduate materials level and provide the basic building blocks for students entering the course from less specialised backgrounds in general engineering or physics.
Processing of Materials
The way a material is processed has an extremely important impact on its performance. How do you process modern engineering materials to control their microstructure and optimise their properties? What novel methods and techniques are available to maximise a materials property balance for a given application? This unit is designed to address these issues. It covers the fundamental physics that underpin microstructure development during processing of advanced alloys and ceramic materials, via deformation, solidification, and powder processing routes. It further provides an overview of advanced processing methods, such as superplastic and spray forming. Case studies are used to link the fundamental physics to microstructure control in specific processes.
Composite Materials
Composites are an important class of materials that can offer outstanding performance and are rapidly growing in their application. This unit provides an in-depth insight into how composites work, the different systems available, their selection and how they are manufactured. The unit introduces the micromechanics of long and short fibre composites and laminate systems, as well as the basic modelling approaches for elastic and post yield behaviour, for plastic and brittle fibre and matrix systems. The structure of important fibre and matrix materials and their properties are studied. Advanced and novel techniques for manufacturing composites are also reviewed. Examples and case studies are given in polymer, metallic and ceramic matrix systems.
Materials Performance - Life Cycle Design
How do materials break, or degrade and fail in service? Before using advanced materials, or selecting them for specific applications, it is vital to understand their limitations and to be able to predict their safe operating life in-service. To be able to improve materials, by manipulating their structure, it is also important to understand the mechanisms that control their properties and failure. This unit provides an overview of the fracture mechanics and failure mechanisms of advanced engineering materials, as well as the effect of environmental exposure via their oxidation and corrosion behaviour. Different failure modes and models are introduced, including fatigue and statistical approaches to predicting failure. In all cases a material’s performance is linked to its structure. All classes of materials are considered, from advanced alloys to technical ceramics and polymers, with case studies in life prediction.
Advanced Analytical Techniques
How do you study modern materials to find out how they work, fail, or to improve their design? Powerful sophisticated techniques are now available for probing material’s structures down to the atomic scale, including methods for reconstructing 3D microstructures, analysing their composition, and measuring internal stresses. In this unit an overview is given of the advanced analytical techniques now available to the materials engineer. The basic underpinning principles and applications of the techniques are also explained, covering important areas, such as; X-ray and neutron diffraction methods, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and electron spectroscopic tools for chemical and electronic structure analysis. The unit is tailored to help students who go on to carry out materials analysis intensive research in the field.
Engineering Design and Communication
Materials scientists and engineers do not work in isolation; we need to communicate our ideas and understanding to others, and will only succeed if we work with others in the planning and design of projects and research. We also must appreciate the needs of design engineers, if we are to select and design materials that are fit for purpose. This unit introduces students to engineering design concepts as well as design skills, such as FE modelling, experimental design and statistics. As a team, you will undertake a design case study, centred on materials selection. You will also develop your written and oral communication skills as you prepare and plan for your research project.
High Performance Alloys
Advanced engineering alloys are highly sophisticated products that, in the foreseeable future, will not be displaced by other materials like composites in many design situations because of their excellent performance, recycleablilty, and cost considerations. The aim of this unit is to apply the principles of phase transformations and physical metallurgy to understand the microstructure, properties, processing and applications of ferrous and non-ferrous advanced engineering alloys. The materials covered include; the light alloys magnesium aluminium and titanium as well as high performance steels power generation materials and nickel superalloys. Overviews are provided of the alloy systems, as well as how they are processed and treated to develop their properties. The principles used to design the materials and the relationships between their composition, structure, and performance are explored.
Functional and Engineering Ceramics
Great advances have been made in technical ceramics and glasses involving applications as diverse as; cutting tools, mobile phone microwave devices, polycrystalline diamond, and fuel cells. This unit gives an overview of the different properties and applications of advanced technical ceramics, as well as the material systems available, their structure, and characteristic properties. It aims to teach the principles needed to address important issues in ceramics, such as; how to overcome and work with their inherent brittleness for engineering applications, control their dielectric and semiconductor characteristics, the functioning of fuel cells, and produce hard, thermal barrier, and functional coatings.
You will be assessed by a combination of examinations and course work and you will complete an industrial case study which supports development of your transferable skills.
The MSc dissertation projects are supervised by leading materials scientists in metals, ceramics and biomaterials research field. The students have access to a wide range of world-class facilities. Most of the projects have links with multinational companies, including Rolls-Royce, British Airways, and BNFL.
Your options
You can choose to take the programme at Certificate, Diploma or MSc level and in full-time, part-time or online distance-learning format.
Entry requirements
MSc qualification
You will need a UK 2.2 Honours degree in a Science, Engineering or Technology field, or equivalent International degree.
If you do not meet the minimum requirements and / or have a mix of other postgraduate or professional qualifications and relevant work experience, then your application will be considered for the progressive entry route, which means that you will be registered for the Certificate or Diploma level and you will be assessed at the end of each level before you progress to the next stage.
Diploma and Certificate qualification
For the Diploma and Certificate qualifications we will consider your application on an individual basis. You can apply with a mix of UK Honours or equivalent International degree, professional qualifications and postgraduate work experience.
Scholarships
This programme is part of the Manchester Materials Masters (MMM) programme, and is applicable to the MMM Scholarships for 2007.