Department of Mechanical Engineering, Unit Catalogue 2011/12 |
|
 Credits:
| 6 |
| Level:
| Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7) |
| Period: |
Semester 1 |
| Assessment:
| EX 100% |
| Supplementary Assessment: | ME40319 Re-assessment (where allowed by programme regulations) |
| Requisites:
| Before taking this unit you must take ME30030 or take ME30045 or while taking this unit you must take ME30030 or take ME30045 |
| Description:
| Aims: To give engineering students an understanding of the nature of composite materials and how this determines their successful application. Learning Outcomes: After taking this unit the student will have: * Demonstrated an appreciation of the properties of composite materials and how they arise. * Demonstrated a knowledge and understanding of the key areas of manufacturing technology, the importance of the correct choice of material and configuration, and the factors limiting the structural performance and service life of the component, and methods for fault detection and life prediction. Skills: Facilitated - intellectual, practical. Content: Introduction and micromechanics: Comparison of mechanical properties of composites with other engineering materials. Anisotropy. Longitudinal and transverse elastic moduli of FRPs, Rule of Mixtures. Determination of modulus of elasticity as a function of orientation. Strength of composites parallel and perpendicular to fibres, Krenchel coefficients. Load transfer in composites, interfacial shear, critical fibre lengths, critical aspect ratio. Inter-laminar shear strength. Toughness of composites, Cook-Gordon effect, fracture energy of composites. Manufacture of composites. Composite laminates: Comparison of carbon fibre laminates and aluminium alloys. Laminate analysis/ design. Material coupling. Failure criteria (strength and stiffness). Sandwich structures: Review of sandwich structures. Design and analysis of sandwich structures. In-plane failure modes. Case study example of a honeycomb structure. Impact behaviour of composite and sandwich panels. NDT: Role of NDT in quality control and in in-service inspection of aircraft. Review of types of defect found in aircraft and their hazards. X-ray inspection, sources, recording, sensitivity, radiation safety. Dye penetrant crack detection. Ultrasonic testing, ultrasonic wave propagation and reflection. Transducers, coupling. A-scan, b-scan, c-scan, shear wave and surface wave inspection techniques. Electrical methods, eddy current, potential drop, magnetic methods. Special inspection problems posed by composite materials. "The ageing aircraft programme". |
| Programme availability: |
ME40319 is Optional on the following programmes:Department of Mechanical Engineering
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