Foundamentals of Science and Technologies of Metals
The course aims to provide the student a comprehensive overview on light alloys for engineering applications in the industrial field. The main light alloys will be studied with the aim of defining the main properties and the specific application fields. Particular attention will be paid to the criteria of choice of materials in relation to both resistance and durability. Overview will be offered regarding the opportunities, benefits and limits offered by these materials in the operating conditions.
Production of aluminium, magnesium, titanium.
Physical metallurgy of aluminium alloys, work hardening and annealing, principles of age hardening, ageing processes, corrosion, mechanical behaviour. Wrought aluminium alloys: production, designation of alloys and tempers, non-heat-treatable alloys, heat-treatable alloys, joining, special products. Cast aluminium alloys, designation, temper and characteristics of cast aluminium alloys, alloys based on the aluminium–silicon system, alloys based on the aluminium–copper system, aluminium–magnesium alloys, aluminium–zinc–magnesium alloys, new casting processes, joining.
Magnesium alloys. Introduction to alloying behaviour, melting and casting, alloy designations and tempers, zirconium-free casting alloys, zirconium-containing casting alloys, wrought magnesium alloys. Electrochemical aspects. Fabrication of components, trends in applications of magnesium alloys.
Titanium alloys: alpha, alpha-beta, beta alloys. Fabrication, titanium alloy castings, engineering performance. Applications of titanium alloys.
Novel materials and processing methods, composites, metallic foams, rapid solidification processing, quasicrystals, amorphous alloys. Mechanical alloying, physical vapour deposition, nanophase alloys, titanium aluminides.
Lectures with slide projection and laboratory activities in groups defined on the basis of the number of students. The lab activities will be devoted to the execution of tests and measurements according to international regulations on the materials studied during the course. The students will be involved in the use of machines and equipment available at the University Service Center - Engineering Laboratories.
Oral examination concerning the topics covered during the lectures. Discussion of results obtained during the laboratory activities – presented by students in form of report - will be done at the beginning of the oral examination. The discussion will cover aspects related to the mechanical characterization or the durability assessment materials
If the teaching activity would be held in mixed mode or on-line, changes can be made compared to what is stated in the syllabus to make the course and exams accessible also in these ways