Handbook

This Level 2 core course in Materials Science and Engineering introduces students to the processes by which heat, mass and momentum move through and between materials and systems of relevance to the materials engineering discipline. 

The course commences with an overview of fluid properties, including a detailed comparison between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, followed by a description of fluid mechanics, mechanical energy balance of flow and Bernoulli’s equation. It then covers the mechanisms of heat transfer by thermal conduction, convection, and radiation, through to the mechanisms of diffusion of atoms, ions and molecules in materials, the application of Fick’s laws of diffusion, and specific examples of diffusion in solids, including the role of crystalline defects as enhanced diffusion pathways. Students will apply these fundamental principles of transport phenomena to areas of technological importance in materials science and engineering, including fluid flow during casting, polymer processing, the design of heat-resistant barriers and heat treatment processes, oxidation of metals, and doping of semiconductors.

The course provides a solid foundation for those higher-level courses requiring knowledge of transport processes.

The course includes lectures, weekly tutorials, assignments and in-class quizzes.

Previous knowledge of first-year calculus and chemistry is required.