| CODE | MME3211 | ||||||||||||
| TITLE | Principles of Material Characterization | ||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Metallurgy and Materials Engineering | ||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit examines the operating principles of modern analytical methods, highlighting their most prevalent applications and limitations. The intent is to familiarise the student with these techniques and equip them with adequate knowledge to engage with relevant analytical specialists, facilitating effective and efficient materials characterization and problem-solving related to materials. Study-unit Aims: This introductory study-unit is designed to show the principles of the physical phenomena used in material characterization in a non-formal manner. It will present quantum effects at the atomic and molecular scales to demonstrate how electromagnetic and particle radiation can be employed to investigate the chemical makeup and molecular structure. A number of characterization techniques will be considered, and their applications, capabilities, and limitations will be discussed. This study-unit is not designed to offer a detailed practical exploration of the techniques introduced. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Explain the basic concepts of the interaction of ionizing radiation with solids; - Understand how to calculate the binding energy of an electron; - Explain the effect of strain and impurity atoms in a crystal lattice on diffraction peaks produced by shining radiation through such crystal; - Grasp the interactions of X-rays with matter in X-ray Diffraction and identify the various corrections necessary to filter out noise and normalise the signal; - Differentiate between quantitative and qualitative analysis; - Acknowledge and manage the risk associated with specific characterisation techniques. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Choose an appropriate characterization technique for a particular application investigation; - Predict the approximate outcome of a test; - Devise an appropriate protocol for a scientific investigation, incorporating the necessary permissions for sampling, sampling procedures, recording, sample preparation, storage and usage, as well as data verification and cross-checking; - Use X-ray diffraction results to calculate phase composition and identify the crystalline structure of simple cubic structures; - Identify the atomic number of elements from X-ray spectra; - Conduct a small investigation and prepare a technical report; - Configure an optical microscope for various applications. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Metals Handbook: Materials Characterization (ASM Handbook) Volume 10, 2019 edition, ASM International (2019). ISBN: 9781627082112 - P. E. J. Flewitt, R. K. Wild (2017), Physical Methods for Materials Characterisation, 3rd edition, CRC Press. E-book ISBN 9781315382012 |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study, Practicum & Tutorial | ||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Stephen Abela |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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