Material Science

Phase Diagrams: Solid solutions – Hume Rothery’s rules – the phase rule – single component system – one-component system of iron – binary phase diagrams – isomorphous systems – the tie-line rule – the lever rule – application to isomorphous system – eutectic phase diagram – peritectic phase diagram – other invariant reactions – free energy composition curves for binary systems – microstructural change during cooling.

Ferrous Alloys: The iron-carbon equilibrium diagram – phases, invariant reactions – microstructure of slowly cooled steels – eutectoid steel, hypo and hypereutectoid steels – effect of alloying elements on the Fe-C system – diffusion in solids – Fick’s laws – phase transformations – T-T-T-diagram for eutectoid steel – pearlitic, baintic and martensitic transformations – tempering of martensite – steels – stainless steels – cast irons.

Mechanical Properties: Tensile test – plastic deformation mechanisms – slip and twinning – role of dislocations in slip – strengthening methods – strain hardening – refinement of the grain size – solid solution strengthening – precipitation hardening – creep resistance – creep curves – mechanisms of creep – creep-resistant materials – fracture – the Griffith criterion – critical stress intensity factor and its determination – fatigue failure – fatigue tests – methods of increasing fatigue life – hardness – Rockwell and Brinell hardness – Knoop and Vickers microhardness.

Magnetic, Dielectric & Superconducting Materials: Ferromagnetism – domain theory – types of energy – hysteresis – hard and soft magnetic materials – ferrites – dielectric materials – types of polarization – Langevin-Debye equation – frequency effects on polarization – dielectric breakdown – insulating materials – Ferroelectric materials – superconducting materials and their properties.

New Materials: Ceramics – types and applications – composites: classification, role of matrix and reinforcement, processing of fiber reinforced plastics – metallic glasses: types , glass forming ability of alloys, melt spinning process, applications – shape memory alloys: phases, shape memory effect, pseudoelastic effect, NiTi alloy, applications – nanomaterials: preparation (bottom up and top down approaches), properties and applications – carbon nanotubes: type.