MTE3201 · Materials in a complex world 2: Characterisation, identification and selection

Overview

This unit will focus on materials selection in manufactured products. This will primarily be achieved via a product disassembly project ("lawnmower project"), which aims to identify materials and their processing routes, to analyse why those choices have been made and to propose alternatives, combining simple economic analyses, sustainability, societal and other considerations alongside the technical engineering properties. Professional skills in this unit will focus on concise and effective written communication, across a range of formats and media. You will also develop skills in interpreting, assessing and critiquing data, information and conclusions presented by others. There will be coverage of the economic considerations of materials projects such as quality, risk, value and productivity. Project work undertaken in this unit will continue to build towards a professional portfolio.

Areas of study: E3001 Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) - Specialisation: Materials engineering

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Continuous assessment: 100%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Select and safely use appropriate experimental characterisation techniques to gather suitable evidence with which to identify materials, and manage these results in a professional manner.
2. Use appropriate evidence, within the context of existing literature, to make judgements about the reasons that particular materials and processes have been used to fabricate a given product.
3. Discuss broader considerations relevant to materials selection choices including economic, environmental, societal and cultural aspects.
4. Appreciate and communicate uncertainty and imprecision in experimental findings and formulate appropriate and valid conclusions in situations where incomplete or conflicting evidence exists.
5. Interpret and discuss the significance of a set of experimental results in a concise, accurate and professionally written report.
6. Interpret technical information effectively for a non-technical audience as part of a team.
7. Manage open-ended projects to a satisfactory completion.

Workload

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of 3-4 hours of scheduled learning activities and 8-9 hours of independent study per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher-directed learning, peer-directed learning and online engagement. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.