*Courses
offered by the Materials Science Department
MTLE-2100
Structure of Engineering Materials
The first
course in Materials Science and Engineering. Structures of metals, ceramics,
and polymers and experimental techniques for their determination are discussed.
Laboratory experience is included. Prerequisite: ENGR-1600 or equivalent.
Spring term annually. 4 credit hours
MTLE-2940
Readings in Materials
3 credit
hours
MTLE-2980
Senior Project
3 credit
hours
MTLE-4030
Glass Science
Glasses are
used in optical communications (optical fibers), electronics (insulator)
and nuclear waste processing in addition to conventional use as windows,
light bulbs and containers. Subjects covered include: Formation and structure
of inorganic glasses. The relationship between properties and cooling rate.
Viscosity and structural relaxation. Phase separation and crystallization.
Ionic diffusion and electrical properties. Mechanical strength and fatigue.
Glass surface and chemical durability. Optical properties. Fall term.
3 credit hours
MTLE-4050
Introduction to Polymers
A first course
on polymer physics and structure-property relationships. Topics include
molecular structure; morphology of amorphous and crystalline polymers;
physical properties of polymers in relation to structure, including rubber
elasticity, viscoelasticity, and glass transition; mechanical testing.
This is a companion course to CHEM-4620 Introduction to Polymer Chemistry.
Course is open to advanced juniors, seniors, and graduate students in science
or engineering and others by permission of instructor. Fall term. 3
credit hours
MTLE-4100
Thermodynamics of Materials
Rigorous development
of classical thermodynamics as applied to prediction of materials properties.
Nonideal gases, solutions, phase equilibria, chemical equilibria, defects.
Prerequisites: ENGR-2250, ENGR-1500, ENGR-1600 or equivalent. Fall term
annually. 4 credit hours
MTLE-4150
Kinetics in Materials Systems
Kinetic processes
in materials. Overview of kinetics in relation to equilibrium thermodynamics,
atomistics and mathematics of diffusion, phase transformations, and microstructural
evolution. All materials classes, including metals and alloys, ionic and
intermetallic compounds, glasses, semiconductors, and polymers, will be
considered in terms of similarities and differences. Includes laboratory
component. Prerequisites: MTLE-4100, ENGR-1500, ENGR-1600. Spring term
annually. 4 credit hours
MTLE-4160
Semiconducting Materials
Review of
electronic properties of materials. Growth and structure of semiconductors.
Diffusion, ion implantation, oxidation, microlithography, plasma etching,
thin film deposition, metallization, with emphasis on Si technology. Introduction
to compound semiconductors. Students cannot obtain credit for both this
course and ECSE-4250. Prerequisite: MTLE-4200 or equivalent. Spring term.
3 credit hours
MTLE-4200
Properties of Engineering Materials I
Introduction
to wave mechanics of particles. Applications to harmonic oscillator, free
electrons, Kronig-Penney and Ziman models. Electron energy bands in solids.
Charge carrier transport. Electrical conductivity of metals and semiconductors.
Junctions and devices based on them. Microelectronics, dielectric and optical
properties of materials. Optoelectronic devices. Includes laboratory. Prerequisites:
ENGR-1600, MTLE-2100, PHYS-1200. Fall term annually. 4 credit hours
MTLE-4250
Properties of Engineering Materials II
This is a
required departmental course, but is also appropriate for biomedical engineers
and other engineering disciplines as an elective. This course teaches the
mechanical properties of metals, ceramics, and polymers from both the macroscopic
and atomistic or micromechanical viewpoints. An introduction to three-dimensional
stresses and strains. Elastic behavior, plastic behavior, strengthening
mechanisms, fracture, creep, and fatigue are all addressed. Includes laboratory
component. Prerequisites: ENGR-1600, MTLE-2100. Spring term annually. 4
credit hours
MTLE-4260
High-Temperature Alloys
Principles
of strengthening alloys for high-temperature service, physical metallurgy
and mechanical behavior of nickel and cobalt-base superalloys, refractory
metals, composite materials, titanium alloys, and intermetallic compounds.
Applications in gas turbines and for space power. Fall term.
3 credit
hours
MTLE-4290
Electronic Packaging
Design and
fabrication of interconnection structures in electronic systems; heat transfer
and mechanical and environmental protection; applications, future trends,
and limitations. (Cross listed as ECSE-4290 and MEAE-4290. Students cannot
receive credit for both this course and either ECSE-4290 or MEAE-4290).
Prerequisites: senior or graduate level at Rensselaer or an undergraduate
degree in engineering or science. Fall term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-4310
Corrosion
Mechanisms,
characteristics, and types of corrosion. Methods for testing, combating,
and evaluating corrosion resistance. Suitability of metals, ceramics, and
organic materials in corrosive environments. Oxidation and other high-temperature
gas-metal reactions. Spring term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-4400
Materials Synthesis and Processing I
Emphasis is
on materials synthesis, with four instructional modules drawn from aspects
of melt and extractive metallurgy and from the synthesis of polymers, ceramics
and glasses, electronic materials, composite materials and nanophase materials.
Prerequisites: MTLE-4200, MTLE-4150, MTLE-4250. Fall term annually. Includes
laboratory experience. 4 credit hours
MTLE-4410
Welding Processes and Metallurgy
Fundamental
principles, primary variables, and metallurgical changes associated with
both fusion and nonfusion welding processes. Energy sources, rates and
modes of energy transfer to the work, and distribution of energy in the
work as these affect plastic softening or melting, plastic flow or solidification,
post-solidification transformations, heat-affected zone microstructures,
residual stresses and distortion, defect formation, and resultant properties;
attention to the effects of weldment material, joint design, process, and
procedural variables. Physical metallurgy is emphasized throughout. Practical
examples highlight theory. Hands-on laboratory exercises complement lectures.
Prerequisite: ENGR-2010 or ENGR-1600. Fall term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-4420
Joining of Advanced Materials
Individual
joining processes including mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding, welding,
brazing, soldering, thermal spraying, and variants or hybrids of these.
Advantages and disadvantages, mechanisms for attaining joint strength,
various specific methods and procedures, joint design and analysis, expected
properties, practical issues in production, safety, and economics, and
special problems with each process. Joining of similar and dissimilar combinations
of metals and alloys, intermetallics, ceramics, glasses, polymers, and
composites, with special attention to attaining optimum properties. Team
term project. Prerequisites: ENGR-1600 and ENGR-2010. Fall term. 3 credit
hours
MTLE-4450
Materials Synthesis and Processing II
Emphasis is
on materials processing, with four instruction modules drawn from aspects
of casting and molding, deformation processing, powder processing, joining
and additive processes, cutting and removal processes, and annealing/heat
treatment processes. Includes laboratory component. Prerequisite: MTLE-4400.
Spring term annually. 4 credit hours
MTLE-4610
Powder Metallurgy
Production
and characterization of metal powders. Compacting of powder, press and
die design, theory of compacting. Sintering and hot compaction. Properties
of sinterings and their relation to processing conditions. Industrial applications.
Prerequisite: ENGR-1600 or ENGR-2010. Fall term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-4630
Composites Laboratory
Fabrication
and characterization of composite materials and structures. Characterization
techniques include strength, stiffness, adhesive shear strength, coefficient
of thermal expansion, and differential thermal analysis. A short design
project involving a composite structure is carried out. Laboratory sessions
are complemented by a weekly lecture. Prerequisite: ENGR-1600. Spring term.
3 credit hours, 5 contact hours
MTLE-4850
Applications of Engineering Materials
This project
course serves as a comprehensive educational experience for the structure-processing-properties
relationship of materials, including metals, polymers, glasses and ceramics,
electronic materials, and composites. Students are expected to develop
comprehensive understanding for the particular material and process selected
to manufacture commercial products based on the fundamental scientific
and engineering knowledge from the previous courses as well as the economic
reasoning developed through a required individual project report. Prerequisites:
MTLE-2100, MTLE-4200, MTLE-4250, or equivalent. Spring term annually. 2
credit hours
MTLE-4910
Design in Materials Engineering
Basic design
concepts, engineering material properties, principles and process of materials
selection, assessment and optimization of performance, processing routes
and manufacturing issues, and role of reverse engineering and failure analysis
in facilitating/improving design. Generic design against yielding, fracture,
flexure, buckling, fatigue, creep, oxidation, corrosion, and wear are all
covered, as opposed to design of specific products or in specific areas.
A semester-long team design project is required, and several shorter-term
design problems are undertaken. Team-building and leadership skills are
developed. Writing-intensive assignments and oral reports develop communication
skills. Prerequisites: ENGR-1500, ENGR-1600 or equivalent. Fall term annually.
3
credit hours
MTLE-4960
Topics in Materials Engineering
Spring term
annually. 3 credit hours
| Graduate
Course Descriptions |
|
MTLE-XXXX
Nanostructured MaterialsThis graduate level course
was offered for those interested in the science and technology of a new
class of materials that have been making a silent revolution in the last
decade or so. To learn more about this new class browse:Nanostructured
Materials
MTLE-6010
Defects in Solids
Point defects,
nonstoichiometry, diffusion and defects, electronic defects, elastic properties
of dislocations, dislocation-point defect interactions, dislocation arrays,
grain boundaries, stacking faults, phase stability, twin boundaries, epitaxial
interfaces. Prerequisite: MTLE-2100 or equivalent. Fall term. 3 credit
hours
MTLE-6030
Advanced Thermodynamics
Review of
classical thermodynamics. Development of basic concepts of statistical
thermodynamics. Application of both classical and statistical techniques
to the determination of phase and chemical equilibrium in real systems.
Prerequisite: MTLE-4100 or equivalent. Fall term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6040
Principles of Crystallography and X-Ray Diffraction
Symmetry operations,
point groups and space groups, X-ray and electron diffraction techniques,
reciprocal lattice, Ewald sphere, mathematics of diffraction, crystal chemistry,
crystal structure-property relationships. Spring term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6060
Kinetics of Materials Reactions I
Diffusion
and phase transformations: solutions to the diffusion equation, moving
boundaries, concentration-dependent diffusion coefficient, interdiffusion,
nucleation, crystal growth from the vapor and solution, solidification.
Precipitation: general, cellular, and G-P zones. Allotropic and martensitic
transformations. Grain growth. Sintering. Prerequisite: MTLE-4100 or MTLE-6030
or equivalent. Spring term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6080
Electron Microscopy of Materials
Introduction
to electron optics, electron diffraction contrast mechanisms, specimen
preparation, and microanalysis. Theory and operating fundamentals of the
SEM, TEM, STEM, and the electron microprobe. Analysis of images from crystalline
materials using kinematical and dynamical theories of electron diffraction.
Prerequisite: MTLE-2100 or MTLE-6040. Fall term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6100
Advanced Electron Microscopy
The theory
and practice of image interpretation in transmission electron microscopy,
including kinematical and dynamical theory of electron diffraction, contrast
analysis of defects, lattice and structure imaging, convergent beam diffraction.
Prerequisite: MTLE-6040 or equivalent. Spring term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6110
Diffusion in Solids
The diffusion
process in metals and alloys. Solution to Fick’s law. Self-diffusion. Effect
of temperature upon diffusion. Grain boundary and surface diffusion. Solution
and diffusion of gases in metals. Diffusion in carburizing, the austenite
transformation, powder metallurgy, and the scaling of metals and alloys.
Fall term alternate years. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6150
Fracture of Solids
Review of
elasticity and plasticity theory. Calculation of theoretical cohesive strength
of crystalline solids; influence of stress concentrations on fracture strength.
Fractography. Theory and applications of linear elastic fracture mechanics.
Fracture testing. Elastic-plastic fracture mechanics. Dislocation theories
of cleavage fracture. Phenomenology and theories of stress corrosion cracking,
creep rupture, fatigue. Fall term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6220
Advanced Semiconducting Materials and Processing
Discussion
of selected advanced and emerging topics in microelectronics materials
and fabrication. These may include metallization, thin film deposition,
interconnection technology, microlithography, plasma etching and processing.
3
credit hours
MTLE-6300
Integrated Circuit Fabrication Laboratory
Theory and
practice of IC fabrication in a research laboratory environment. Test chips
are fabricated and the resulting devices and circuits evaluated. Processes
and fabrication equipment studied and used include oxidation/diffusion,
CVD reactors, photolithography, plasma etching, vacuum evaporator, ion
implantation, etc. Instruments used in process monitoring and final testing
include thin film profilometer, ellipsometer, resistivity probe, scanning
electron microscope, capacitance-voltage system, etc. The fundamentals
of hazardous material handling and clean room procedures are studied. (Cross
listed as ECSE-6300. Students cannot obtain credit for both this course
and ECSE-6300). Prerequisite: ECSE-4250 or equivalent. Spring term annually.
3
credit hours
MTLE-6350
Composite Materials
Introduction
to fiber-reinforced composites: atomistic basis for ultimate properties
of solids; flaws and flaw distributions; shear-lag model for fiber/matrix
stress transfer; predictions of composite strength and toughness as related
to real material behavior. Preparation, advantages, and limitations of
fiber reinforcements, and of polymer, metal, and ceramic matrix composites
are discussed. Anisotropic continuum representations as well as test and
characterization methods are introduced. Prerequisites: graduate standing
in materials or consent of instructor. Fall term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6400
Vacuum Techniques
Principles
and practice of producing, measuring, and using pressures from atmospheric
down to 10-15 atmospheres. Gas kinetics and flow of gases at low pressures.
Basic vacuum system calculations. System design and leak detection. Physical
and chemisorption of gases. Generation of clean surfaces and study of reactions
on them. Spring term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6420
Surface Phenomena
The thermodynamics
and reactivity of surfaces. Classical thermodynamics of surfaces. Atomistic
models of the crystal surfaces. Electron diffraction from surface layers.
Surface diffusion. Physical and chemisorption of gases, chemical reactions
at surfaces. Nucleation of surface and bulk phases. Spring term. 3 credit
hours
MTLE-6430
Materials Characterization
Principles
and applications of current techniques for the chemical, structural, and
morphological characterization of engineering materials, with an emphasis
on materials used in the microelectronics industry. Techniques studied
include various electron and ion spectroscopies, electron microscopies,
and diffraction techniques. Fall term odd-numbered years.
3 credit
hours
MTLE-6450
Melting and Solidification
Thermodynamics,
kinetics, and morphologies of solid-liquid interfaces. Heat flow phenomena
in casting and crystal growth. Structure of molten systems. Physical chemistry
of vacuum processing. Mechanics of solidification of metals under equilibrium
and nonequilibrium conditions. Nucleation and growth phenomena. Solute
redistribution during freezing. Metal transport during freezing. Grain
size control. Application of theory to production of engineering alloys.
Fall term alternate years. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6610
Deformation Processing
Mechanical
metallurgy and mechanics of the classical metal-working operations. Analytical
techniques. Friction and lubrication. Workability. Effects on as-worked
properties. Technological discussions of forging, rolling, extrusion, drawing,
and other unit operations. Prerequisite: ENGR-1600 or equivalent. Spring
term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6750
Special Topics in Ceramics
A course in
physical ceramics, the content of which will be modified in accordance
with current interests and technology. Spring term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6830
Deformation of Materials and Rheology
A course intended
to acquaint the student with the phenomenological description of constitutive
equations for solids and melts. The necessary background material on stress
tensors, strain tensors, rate-of-deformation tensors, invariants, principal
axes, and isotropic and deviatoric tensors is fully developed. Specific
applications include the linear elastic solid, the anisotropic elastic
solid, the nonlinear elastic solid, the viscoelastic solid, creep, relaxation,
yielding, viscoelastic fluids, and viscometric flows. The required mathematics
background is a course in linear algebra (matrices) or equivalent. Fall
term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6840
Polymer Engineering
Survey and
engineering analysis of industrial processes and commercial polymers. Topics
include introductory fluid mechanics, non-Newtonian fluids, molecular theory
of viscoelasticity, analysis of extrusion and other selected processes.
Open to all graduate students majoring in polymer science and engineering.
Spring term. 3 credit hours
MTLE-6900
Graduate Seminar
Fall and spring
terms annually. 0 credit hours
MTLE-6930
Literature Study
A special
course assignment open to graduate students working toward a master’s degree.
Applicable where a student cannot reasonably arrange to submit a thesis.
A written report on the study must be submitted and defended before a committee
of the faculty. 1 to 3 credit hours
MTLE-6940
Materials Engineering Project
3 credit
hours
MTLE-6960
Topics in Materials Engineering
3 credit
hours
MTLE-6980
Master’s Project
3 to 6
credit hours
MTLE-6990
Master’s Thesis
6 to 9
credit hours
MTLE-9990
Doctor’s Thesis
