Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LH Alloy and Microstructure Design
School	Metallurgy and Materials
Department	Metallurgy & Materials
Module Code	04 38276
Module Lead	Dr David Collins
Level	Honours Level
Credits	10
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites	LC Design for Structural Applications - (04 31174) LI Fracture, Fatigue and Degradation A - (04 34056) LI Fracture, Fatigue and Degradation B - (04 34060)
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Exclusions
Description	For advanced engineering materials to be used in application, particularly when they are used in demanding structural environments, composition selection, processing methods and subsequently microstructure determine performance. This course will describe modern strategies to create new materials systems, with a focus on those that are critical to address 21st century engineering challenges. You will be taught how these materials are processed, and how this insight can be used to tailor & optimise performance through the careful control of microstructure.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: To understand the objective performance criteria of key engineering alloys. Students should be able to interpret and make materials selection decisions from Ashby plots using suitable performance indices. Describe macroscopic property criteria relevant for material processing & machining. To describe and derive expressions that govern behaviour of key thermo-mechanical processes including forging, extrusion, drawing & sheet forming. Students will be able to describe the development of microstructures during processing, and understand how this can be controlled. Understand how the design of the microstructure can be used to predict structural material properties. Understand and use methods for selecting alloy compositions including computational approaches, and how this can be linked to properties, processing and microstructure. Be able to justify the alloy design strategies for important exemplar engineering alloys including (1) automotive applications (e.g. lightweight Mg and Al alloys), (2) aerospace systems (e.g. Ni and Ti Alloys), (3) nuclear energy materials (e.g. high performance steels), (4) healthcare alloys (shape memory and biodegradable alloys), and (5) low-cost domestic application (e.g. ferritic steels).
Assessment	38276-01 : Exam : Exam (Centrally Timetabled) - Written Unseen (50%) 38276-02 : Tutorial Sheet : Coursework (25%) 38276-03 : Matlab Alloy Design Task : Practical (25%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Closed book exam: 1.5 hours (50%) centrally timetabled exam Coursework: 50%. This will comprise: Assessment 1 (25%): Tutorial Problem Sheet Assessment 2 (25%): A Matlab-based activity to design an alloy system which integrates composition selection, microstructure & property prediction, and process selection
Other	Accrediting body: IoM3
Reading List