This course discusses materials physics associated with the mechanical and structural properties of solids, primarily focusing on the physics of dislocation defect dynamics and linking diffusion kinetics to the fundamental physics of phase transformations.
Content
1. Materials, definitions, structure
Binding energy in metals, ceramics and polymers. Crystal structure and amorphous materials. Theory of elasticity: stress and strain fields.
2. Diffusion
Diffusion in alloys. Physical and chemical diffusion.
3. Plastic deformation and dislocations
Phenomenology. Deformation of single crystals. Burgers' vector. Elasticity theory: interactions among dislocations. Creation and annihilation of dislocations.
4. Dislocation dynamics
Friction forces due to the lattice, to point defects, and to dislocations. Movement equations. Partial dislocations and stacking faults. Dissociation mechanisms: dislocations in face-centred cubic metals.
5. Dislocation kinetics
Thermal activation of plastic deformation. Dislocation climb. Deformation tests. High-resolution Electron microscopy of dislocation structures.
6. Thermodynamics of phase transformations
Thermodynamic principles of phase transformations, Phase diagrams, Alloy solidification and Solid-solid phase transformations.
- Professor: Thomas La Grange
