School of Materials Engineering - Purdue University Spring 2015

MSE 230 Structure and Properties of Materials

Lecturer: Prof. Aisling Coughlan, ARMS 2217, acoughla@purdue.edu

Lecture: Monday and Wednesday in ARMS 1010, Section 1 at 9:30 and Section 2 at 12:30. BoilerCasts for
each lecture section will be available.

Recitations
Section
R14
R15
R16
R17
R22
R23
R24
R25
R26
R28
R29
R31

Time
Fri. 12:30
Thur. 8:30
Thur. 4:30
Fri. 12:30
Fri. 10:30
Thur. 3:30
Thur. 9:30
Thur. 9:30
Fri. 2:30
Fri. 9:30
Fri. 10:30
Fri. 8:30

Location
ARMS 1103
ARMS 3115
ARMS 3115
ARMS 3115
ARMS 3115
ARMS 3115
ARMS 3115
ARMS 1021
ARMS 1021
ARMS 3115
ARMS 1021
ARMS 3115

Instructor
Shikha Shrestha
Tom Kanaby
Anna Walter
Eduard Caicedo
Marianne Valone
Anna Walter
Tom Kanaby
Kyle Fezi
Eduard Caicedo
Kyle Fezi
Shikha Shrestha
Marianne Valone

Office Hours: As scheduled or by appointment. A schedule with the time and location of office hours will be
posted in the Course Information folder on Blackboard by the second week of class.
Textbook: Materials Science and Engineering, An Introduction, 9th edition, by W.D. Callister, Jr. and D.G.
Rethwisch, Wiley, NY (2014), ISBN 978-1-118-32457-8.
Website: Homework assignments and solutions and lecture slides will be distributed on Blackboard.

Course Description and Objectives

An introduction to the structure, properties and processing of engineering materials (metals, polymers,
ceramics, and composites) including the relationships between the different levels of internal structure (atomic,
molecular, crystal, grain, etc.) and the basic properties (physical, mechanical, thermal, electrical, etc.), as well
as the ways material structures (and thus properties) are controlled and manipulated in basic processing
operations. Examples of the application of this approach to the specification of materials in engineering design
are presented. Detailed course objectives are published on the School of Materials Engineering website at
http://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE/Academics/Courses/MSE23000/index.html.

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School of Materials Engineering - Purdue University Spring 2015

Lectures
The lectures will stress the main objectives but important details are necessarily left for you to discover
in the textbook. Partial lecture notes including headings and detailed figures will be available for download
before the lecture so you can concentrate more on the important details as they are added during class.
Reading the text, listening to the lecture and taking notes, working the homework problems, and participating in
recitation provide a range of learning modes.
Recitation
Graduate Student instructors will lead you in discussions to review/supplement the reading lecture and
homework. Homework assignments may be downloaded from Blackboard and are due at the beginning of
recitation. Late homework will not be accepted without a valid excuse. Homework solutions will be posted on
Blackboard. Short quizzes will be given at the end of the recitation period, nominally every other week. Quizzes
will be closed book / closed-notes and will cover basic concepts from the reading, lecture, recitation, and
homework. Your participation in recitation is vitally important. The recitation instructors will help you learn but
they need feedback and participation. Try to make something happen in recitation by asking good questions.
Participation will not be scored, per se, but will be used in deciding borderline cases in final grading, as
described under Grading.
Examinations and Quizzes
The midterm exams and the final exam are closed-book but you may use up to 1 sheet of Handwritten
notes (8.5 x 11, both sides) for the midterm exam and 3 sheets of handwritten notes for the final exam.
Besides the crib sheet(s), the only other things allowed for the exams are writing implements, eraser, straight
edge (ruler), and a calculator.
In case of emergency, email Prof. Coughlan or call the School of Materials Engineering at 494-4100
(messages recorded 24 hours a day) and explain the situation as soon as you are safe.
Make-Up exams or quizzes can be given only for the following verifiable reasons: serious illness, family
emergencies, direct conflict with another exam (minimum two weeks prior notice required), or official university
absence.
Examination Dates:
Midterm Exam 1 :
Thursday, February 26, 6:30-7:30 PM, LILY 1105/ PHYS 112 / FRNY B124
Midterm Exam 2:
Thursday, April 9, 6:30-7:30 PM, LILY 1105, MTHW 210, LILY G126
Final Exam:
TBA*
* Until the final exam schedule is known, please do not make travel reservations to depart from campus before
the end of the final exam period (i.e.)
Recommended approach for homework, quizzes and exams
Neat, legible, organized, and in sufficient detail to demonstrate that you understand and
performed the calculations yourself.
Completing calculations in general form before substituting in numerical values aids in
determining partial credit.
Check the units in any calculation and also that your answer makes physical sense.
Use Reasonable precision in reporting the numerical value of calculations (e.g., not all 10
places of your calculator display) and use units consistently (SI unless otherwise given).
Write your name of each page of your homework and be sure to staple or clip together multiple
sheets.
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Typing homework and/or using math software and computer graphing is not necessary, but not
discouraged. If you do submit computer-aided homework solutions, equations and variables
must be clearly defined, graphs must have labeled axes with units and be reasonalble scalled,
and answers must be unambiguously identified.

PARTIAL CREDIT ON ANY HOMEWORK, QUIZ OR EXAM PROBLEMS IS DISCRETIONARY AND MAY
NOT BE PROVIDED AT ALL, PARTICULARLY IF THE RESULT DOES NOT MAKE PHYSICAL SENSE. IF
YOU KNOW YOUR FINAL ANSWER IS RIDICULOUS INDICATE SO, GIVING YOUR REASONING. UNDER
THESE CIRCUMSTANCES PARTIAL CREDIT FOR CALCULATION ERRORS MAY BE GRANTED.
Grading
Evening Exam 1
Evening Exam 2
Final Exam (comprehensive)
Quizzes
Homework

22.5%
22.5%
35%
10%
10%

Final Grades
The final grade divisions will depend on class performance, but typically have been distributed
approximately as follows: the top 20% of the class received an A, the next 40% a B, the next 25 a C and the
bottom 15% a D or F. The +/- grading option will be used in assigning final grades. If you end up as a
borderline case just below the grade division you will be considered for elevation to the next higher grade
based on how well you participate in recitation. A formula will be provided the week following each mid-term
exam to help you estimate your grade at that point of the semester.
Emergency Policies and Procedures
Fire, weather, and civil emergency procedures specific to the lecture room ARMS 1010 and your
recitation room will be reviewed in class. Information on emergency preparedness at Purdue is available on the
Purdue homepage and at http://www.purdue.edu/emergency_preparedness/ .
In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages
are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. Such
changes will be posted to the course website on Blackboard. In case of an extended disruption in which
classes on campus are suspended, the course will continue to the extent possible on Blackboard. Please
inform your recitation instructor early in the semester if you cannot access Blackboard (i.e., the internet) from
home so we can make an alternate plan for remote communication if classes are suspended.
Seasonal flu typically peaks during the spring semester. If you feel sick with flu-like symptoms please
see a doctor as soon as possible and do not come into class. Inform your recitation instructor of the situation
as soon as you can. You will not be penalized for excused absences with a doctors note and we will work with
you as best we can to accommodate the lost class time.

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School of Materials Engineering - Purdue University Spring 2015

Academic Dishonesty
Purdue University Regulations, Part 5, Section III-B-2-a describes the formal policies governing
academic dishonesty. A guide providing specific examples, tips, and consequences is available at
https://www.purdue.edu/odos/welcome/academic-integrity/ . These rules cover not only exams and quizzes,
but also graded homework. Copying or sharing any part of the homework solutions from any source is a clear
violation of university policy. Transcribing, paraphrasing or following the outline of someone elses solution(s) is
cheating. The test is simple: If you write down your solution after reading or hearing someone elses solution
you are cheating. Discussion between students of the concepts and general approach to homework problems
is encouraged but the solutions you turn in for grading must be your own original work.
Advice on homework in MSE 230
The homework solutions are only worth 10% of the final grade in MSE 230, whereas the exams and
quizzes count for 90% of the grade. With a 1:9 weighting in the grading, the benefits of learning from mistakes
made in thinking for yourself on the homework far outweigh the points gained by copying down someone elses
correct solution. By copying down a correct homework solution without really learning the concepts you are
effectively trading away 9 points on an exam or quiz for 1 point in the homework. By copying an incorrect
solution (a common way copying is detected) you greatly increase the risk of being caught. We understand that
discussing a solution and sharing approaches with classmates for solving homework is normal and expected.
By failing to insure that you put your own originality into solutions and in particular, in written discussions to
qualitative homework solutions you will penalize yourself and hinder your own learning.
The MSE 230 teaching staff will diligently monitor academic dishonesty in exams, quizzes and
homework. Students found to engage in academic dishonesty are subject to sanctions. For a first offence, the
student will receive a zero score for the assignment, quiz or exam. Depending on the severity of the offence,
the case may be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students for further action. A second offence will result in
a failing grade for MSE 230 and definite referral to the Office of the Dean of Students.
MSE 230
Week
Jan 12
Jan 19
Jan 26
Feb 2
Feb 9
Feb 16
Feb 23
Mar 2
Mar 9
Mar 16
Mar 23
Mar 30
Apr 6
Apr 13
Apr 20
Apr 27
May 4

Optimistic Schedule
Topic
Introduction, Atomic Bonding, Material Properties
Crystal Structure, Directions, Planes
Direction, Planes, Macromolecular Structure
Mechanical Behavior
Mechanical Behavior
Fracture/Fatigue
Diffusion/Phase Equilibrium
(Evening exam 2/26, no recitation this week)
Phase Equilibrium
Phase Transformations
Spring Break No Class!
Microstructure Controls in Metals
Metal Alloys and Processing
Glass and Ceramic Processing
(Evening exam 4/9, no recitation this week)
Electrical Properties
Electrical Properties/ Review
Review
Exam Week

Spring 2015
Reading Chapters
2
3
3, 14
6
4.5-4.6, 7
8, 12.8-12.11
4.2-4.3, 5, 9.1-9.6
9.7-9.20
10, 11.9
10
11
13
15, 16.1-16.8
18.1-18.13

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