Materials Science: 10 Things Every Engineer Should Know

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/materials-science

Introduction

## Course Review: Materials Science: 10 Things Every Engineer Should Know ### Overview If you're an aspiring engineer or a professional seeking to deepen your understanding of materials science, the Coursera course titled **"Materials Science: 10 Things Every Engineer Should Know"** is an excellent choice. This course offers a comprehensive yet accessible exploration into the various materials that engineers utilize in their projects. From the fundamental properties of materials to the principles of manufacturing them, this course provides key knowledge that is essential for every engineering discipline. ### Course Content The course is structured around ten pivotal topics that guide learners through the intricate world of materials. Here’s a brief overview of what to expect: 1. **The Menu of Materials**: The first week dives into the six categories of engineering materials, emphasizing their everyday applications and how material structure influences their properties. 2. **Point Defects and Diffusion**: Understanding point defects is crucial, and the course explains how they facilitate solid state diffusion—an essential concept for material behavior at the atomic level. 3. **Dislocations and Plastic Deformation**: This module introduces the phenomenon of plastic deformation through dislocation motion, which is fundamental for materials subjected to stress. 4. **Mechanical Properties - The “Big Four”**: Learners will explore critical mechanical properties, including elasticity, yield strength, tensile strength, and ductility. This knowledge is vital when selecting materials for specific engineering needs. 5. **Creep Deformation**: Creep is a key factor in the long-term behavior of materials under constant stress. This lesson underscores the importance of understanding how materials deform over time. 6. **Ductile-to-Brittle Transition**: This section links material microstructure to their performance under various temperatures and stresses, a vital consideration in material selection for engineering applications. 7. **Fracture Toughness and Fatigue**: The course explores the concepts of fracture toughness and the mechanisms of fatigue—two crucial aspects of material failure that engineers must address. 8. **Manufacturing Processes**: Understanding how to manipulate materials effectively is vital, and this section deals with making materials change behavior—from slow transformations to quick ones. 9. **History of Semiconductors**: A brief but insightful discussion on semiconductors underscores their pivotal role in modern electronics, rounding out the course with a historical perspective relevant to today’s innovations. ### Course Delivery The course is expertly delivered through engaging video lectures, supplemented by illustrations and practical examples. This multimodal approach enhances retention and allows learners to grasp complex concepts more intuitively. Interactive quizzes and practical assignments also provide valuable opportunities for self-assessment. ### Learning Outcomes By the end of this course, participants will be well-equipped to: - Recognize the essential aspects of materials used in modern engineering. - Understand the foundational principles of materials science, including a grasp of structural properties and manufacturing principles. ### Recommendation I highly recommend this course to both undergraduate engineering students and working professionals who wish to solidify their knowledge in materials science. The structured yet flexible format allows you to learn at your own pace, making it ideal for those with busy schedules. The insights gained here will not only enhance academic performance but also empower engineers to make informed decisions regarding material selection and application in real-world engineering challenges. Whether you're aiming to ace your coursework or advance in your engineering career, **"Materials Science: 10 Things Every Engineer Should Know"** is an indispensable resource that will serve you well. Enroll today and dive into the fascinating world of materials science!

Syllabus

Course Overview / The Menu of Materials / Point Defects Explain Solid State Diffusion

Welcome to week 1! In lesson one, you will learn to recognize the six categories of engineering materials through examples from everyday life, and we’ll discuss how the structure of those materials leads to their properties. Lesson two explores how point defects explain solid state diffusion. We will illustrate crystallography – the atomic-scale arrangement of atoms that we can see with the electron microscope. We will also describe the Arrhenius Relationship, and apply it to the number of vacancies in a crystal. We’ll finish by discussing how point defects facilitate solid state diffusion, and applying the Arrhenius Relationship to solid state diffusion.

Welcome to week 2! In lesson three we will discover how dislocations at the atomic-level structure of materials explain plastic (permanent) deformation. You will learn to define a linear defect and see how materials deform through dislocation motion. Lesson four compares stress versus strain, and introduces the “Big Four” mechanical properties of elasticity, yield strength, tensile strength, and ductility. You’ll assess what happens beyond the tensile strength of an object. And you’ll learn about a fifth important property – toughness.

Welcome to week 3! In lesson five we’ll explore creep deformation and learn to analyze a creep curve. We’ll apply the Arrhenius Relationship to creep deformation and identify the mechanisms of creep deformation. In lesson six we find that the phenomenon of ductile-to-brittle transition is related to a particular crystal structure (the body-centered cubic). We’ll also learn to plot the ductile-to-brittle transition for further analysis.

Welcome to week 4! In lesson seven we will examine the concept of critical flaws. We’ll define fracture toughness and critical flaw size with the design plot. We’ll also distinguish how we break things in good and bad ways. Lesson eight explores the concept of fatigue in engineering materials. We’ll define fatigue and examine the fatigue curve and fatigue strength. We’ll also identify mechanisms of fatigue.

Welcome to week 5! In lesson nine we’ll deal with how to make things fast and slow. We’ll examine the lead-tin phase diagram and look at its practical applications as an example of making something slowly. Then we’ll evaluate the TTT diagram for eutectoid steel, and compare diffusional to diffusionless transformations with the TTT diagram, monitoring how we make things rapidly. Lesson ten is a brief history of semiconductors. Here, we discuss the role of semiconductor materials in the modern electronics industry. Our friend Arrhenius is back again, and this time we’re applying the Arrhenius Relationship to both intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors. We’ll also look at combined intrinsic and extrinsic behavior.