Plastic and Composite Materials

Overview and applications of FE theory in linear static and dynamic systems. Review of matrices, strain and stress tensors. Variational and energy principles in FEA. Applications in linear stress analysis; 1D, 2D and 3D. Transient solutions; modal analysis. Modeling concepts. Use of general purpose codes like ANSYS, NISA, ARIES.

The course introduces the fundamentals of modeling and simulations in materials engineering. It covers atomic scale molecular dynamics simulations, mesoscale phase-field simulations, and data-driven machine learning modeling. Software tools including LAMMPS (Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator), VMD (Visual Molecular Dynamics), MATLAB, and ParaView will be introduced. Students are expected to develop models across different scales, run programs, and analyze the results.

A second course in materials which expands the philosophy that all materials possess common traits which allow: (1) interchange of classes of materials to perform the same function, e.g., metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, etc.; and (2) understanding of the mechanisms of property controls in new materials. There is an attempt to provide equal representation of the science and the phenomena of engineering materials. Greater emphasis is placed on thermodynamics, stress-strain relations, multicomponent phase equilibria, and such other areas as received minimal exposure in the first course in materials. As a result of present technology trends, more time is spent on composites and achievement of design specifications through synthesis.

This course discusses the injection molding process in depth, including the new developments, such as gas-assisted injection molding. Additionally, this course discusses the properties of injection molded design considerations for injection molded parts. (3 credits)

Mechanical behavior of materials are covered in relation to their structures, deformation characteristics and failure mechanisms. Means of improving strength, fracture toughness and other mechanical properties are discussed. Environmental effects on mechanical behavior are also included. The emphasis is on metals; however, polymers and ceramics are also covered.

This course will consider four different aspects of composite materials; namely, materials, mechanics, manufacturing and design. Recent developments on fiber reinforced plastics and metals will be covered. Fundamental analytical concepts on micro and macro mechanics will be emphasized to create a better understanding of the design principles of composite materials.