Description
Materials architected in the micro and nano scale are designed either as nature-inspired materials, e.g. to provide weight-efficient distributions of material in space and superior mechanical properties, or purposely engineered to have a property that is not found in naturally occurring materials. The intended applications of these materials span many fields, but this module focuses on materials architected for mechanical properties, e.g. to have superelastic properties, high specific strength/stiffness/energy absorption, negative poisson鈥檚 ratios etc. This module focuses on the design, structural analysis, and
manufacturing methods of two classes of such materials that are of high interest in industrialapplications: 1) composite materials and 2) microlattices.
The students will obtain hands-on experience with advanced design and computational tools for such materials, e.g. materials selection, stress analysis, finite element analysis, composite design, structural optimisation, and manufacturing method selection. These concepts will be used for a mini research topic on horizon-scanning for materials of the future. A practical scenario for designing, manufacturing, and testing such materials will be realised within the Manufacturing Challenges module.
Aims of the module
The aim of the module is to equip the students with three essential skills:
- fundamental knowledge of stress analysis as applied in micro/nano architected materials,
- applied knowledge of the computational tools used in the analysis and design of such materials, and
- design for manufacturing.
Through guest lectures, the students will be able to understand the industry requirements for manufacturability. Finally, the module will extend the lengthscale concepts taught in 鈥淔undamentals of nanoengineering鈥 to structural materials.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:
- Perform sophisticated analyses to predict the elastic-plastic properties of a range of architected materials
- Develop and design new materials that will meet a set of functional requirements
- Make informed decisions on appropriate manufacturing methods for such materials including an evaluation of environmental sustainability and economical viability
- Demonstrate hands-on skills in the use of computational tools to select, design, optimise, and predict the structural response of such materials
- Critically evaluate research literature to identify manufacturing/design improvements for current and future materials
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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