Introduction

For this assignment you are required to write a report of the properties and applications of an advanced engineering material. You must choose ONE topic from the list given below. The report should cover the following aspects of the material as appropriate for the chosen material and its applications selected for the report:

• Composition and structure of the material
• Special features
• Properties – tables and graphs are useful for this
• Processing (if relevant)
• Application(s) and service behaviour which illustrate the particular properties of the material.

Group assignment

You are to work in groups of FOUR ideally for this report and to submit ONE report from the group. You will not be allocated to groups. You should form a group from your classmates eg from the same tutorial class or laboratory group. Please advise me by end of Week 11 of the members of your group

Report

Length:  1,000 words

Value:  10 % of overall marks for this course

Structure:

• Assignment submission sheet
• Title Page (also include the name and QIBT ID of all members of the group)
• Introduction
• Main Body (This will depend on the topic selected but could include: Description of the material, its composition, properties, structure, production/processing, application(s), service behaviour, recycling or reuse, costs. You will need to select headings that are appropriate for your report.)
• Summary or Conclusions (as appropriate)
• References
• Appendices (if needed)

A note on referencing and sources

The report must be correctly and accurately referenced. Use the author-date system for referencing and ensure you apply it correctly to the in-text citations as well as to the list of references compiled under “References”.

I expect to see at least 5 different sources for any topic. Do not rely entirely on one source to write your report. There are many good sources of information on these topics on the educational, scientific and government web sites and in the recent editions of textbooks on materials science and materials engineering. You may also find good introductory material in the physics and chemistry textbooks available in the library.

 

A good starting place is your textbook, Callister, WD. 2007, Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction 7e + Wileyplus, 7th Edition, Wiley. (also see the additional chapters 19-23 available from the Wiley website for Callister). Refer to the sections in the textbook under “Materials of Importance” as some of these discuss materials in the list of topics below. Then use the electronic databases through the Griffith library resources. There are many engineering journals that deal with materials engineering and materials science and these can be located through Science Direct, for example.

Be careful using information from the Internet. Google Scholar can be used to locate good quality educational and scientific articles on most of these topics. However, a general web search from Google or other search engines will locate many references, some of doubtful quality. Do not use sources intended for school children. Be careful with promotional information from a manufacturer’s or supplier’s website. Your report is to be of a professional standard based on engineering and scientific papers, and reports from quality journals and professional societies.

Do not copy text directly from your sources. You must write the report in your own words, although up to 5 % of the text can be from your sources and indicated by correct use of quotes as specified in the author-date system of referencing,

You may copy and use diagrams, illustrations and graphs from your sources. However ensure that you do reference the source accurately.

Marking

Content:  45% (relevant, up-to-date, correct)

Research effort: 10 % (adequate coverage of topic, sufficient number of quality references)

Writing:    20% (style, spelling, grammar, sentences and paragraphs)

Presentation: 10 % (layout, illustrations, format)

Referencing: 15 % (correctly cited, listed in correct format)

 

Topics

Select ONE of the following topics for your report:
TOPICS

1. Superalloys for high-temperature applications
2. Fullerenes: Structure, properties and applications
3. Biomaterials for bone tissue-engineering
4. Biodegradable polymers and the environment
5. Concrete-polymer composites