Materials Science for Design

Learning Outcomes

• Learning Outcomes (General)
  
• Students will be able to understand the concepts of categorizing materials and processes in the form of families, classes and sub-classes
  
• Students will gain an understanding of the different classes of materials and their typical attributes and properties
  
• Students will be familiar the material class of polymers and gain a working understanding of their properties and processing requirements
  
• Students will develop a working understanding of material properties including mechanical, thermal, chemical and aesthetic properties and how to test them
  
• Students will be able to match materials and design and how to understand and identify the relevant information for the material and process
  
• Students will be able to recognize and understand the environmental aspects of a material choice including life cycle assessments, end of life scenarios and recyclability
  Topic overview and detailed learning outcomes
  
  Material and process categories
  
  Most materials fall into one of three classes that are based on the atomic bonding forces of a particular material. These three classifications are metallic, ceramic and polymeric. You will learn the differences between those classes of materials, how they can be combined to create composite materials and how each class can be subdivided for easy cataloguing and selection. A special focus will lie on polymers. The choice of material is closely connected to the selected way of processing the material. You will be introduced to typical processing techniques for each material class and gain an understanding of the advantages and limitations of each process.
  
  Sustainability and environmental aspects
  
  Each choice of process and material will come with an associated impact on the environment. You will be able to identify and understand those impacts and associated costs and how they can be included in the design process. You will be introduced to the concepts of life cycle assessments, cradle-to-cradle design, end-of-life scenarios and the possibilities and limitations of material reuse and recycling. You will be able to understand the mechanisms involved with breakdown and degradation and how they differ for each class of materials.
  
  Material properties
  
  You will be introduced to key material properties such as strength, stiffness, hardness, thermal and electric conductivity, transparency, density, corrosion resistance, how they relate to the different material classes and the underlying mechanisms responsible. You will also gain a working understanding of the standardized testing procedures and stress-strain curves. Additionally, you will be able understand how different load scenarios, such as static, dynamic or cyclic loading can cause different modes of failure.
  
  Matching material and design
  
  You will learn to understand and identify the relevant material information for a specific design requirement. You will be able to apply a material selection strategy. For this, you will learn how to translate design requirements into functions, constraints, objective and free variables. You will be given the tools to eliminate non-suitable materials and rank the suitable ones according to the design needs and through the help of available resources.   You will be able to understand the concept of material indices, how to calculate them for simple problems and use them for a material selection using material charts.
  
  Polymers – structure and chemistry leading to design choices and applications
  
  Polymers are essential and ubiquitous materials in modern society. They are present in all objects and devices and all materials, natural and synthetic. The mechanical and physical properties of polymers are critical to any design choice or material selection process that is made for a new product, and these properties are a direct consequence of the chemical structures within the polymer and the methods used to prepare, shape and manipulate them. In this block of lectures, we will examine the categories of polymers (thermoplastic, thermoset, elastomer), their characteristic properties, and how they depend on the detailed chemical structures of the polymers and the ways that they are formed. We will examine the structure and properties of well-known polymers (e.g. polyethylenes, PVC, acrylates, nylons, Kevlar and polycarbonates) and then consider how other aspects such as biodegradability, 3D printability, and ease of introduction of colour might influence design choice and production decisions.
  By the end of this block of lectures you will be able to:
  
• Define polymer categories in terms of their physical and chemical properties
  
• Relate the physical properties of polymers to their chemical/molecular structures
  
• Describe and compare the chemistry used to prepare different types of polymers and copolymers
  
• Discuss the suitability of polymers for various kinds of processing, including moulding, shaping, and 3D printing
  
• Comment on the biodegradability of polymers as part of consideration of life cycle analysis for polymeric materials

For further information see School of Product Design .