Composite Materials

At the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. identify the different constituents of composites materials; 2. identify and understand the basic mechanical properties of composite materials and make sound prediction on the likely behaviour of new combinations of materials; 3. identify and evaluate the effects of reinforcement on the properties of particle, fibre and lamina; 4. reinforced composites; and 5. develop competency in one or more common composite manufacturing techniques, and be able to select the appropriate technique for manufacture of composite for specific applications.

Introduction: Definition, classification of composites, Properties of composites in comparison with monolithic materials, constituents of composites. Reinforcements Materials: Metallic, Polymer, Ceramic, Composite fibres, Whiskers and Particulates, Nano-fillers, Reinforcement fibres, Woven fabrics and Non-woven random mats. Matrix Materials: Commonly used Matrices; Metal matrix, Polymer matrix, Ceramic matrix, Inter-metallic matrix, Carbon-Carbon composites; Basic Requirements in Selection of constituents; Fibre/Matrix Interface. Micromechanics of composites: Identify the roles of constituent materials in relation to properties of composites. Computation of effective properties of fibre-reinforced composite materials using the rules of mixtures. Stress-strain transformation to determine stresses and strains in a lamina for a given direction as specified by a coordinate system. Macromechanics of composite materials: mechanical behaviour of laminates using classical lamination theory, computation of stresses or strains in laminates under mechanical loading. Mechanical Properties: Stiffness and strength, geometrical aspects – volume and weight fraction, unidirectional continuous fibre, discontinuous fibers, short fiber systems, woven reinforcements, – iso-stress and iso-strain conditions, Nature of stress vs. strain curves for different composite materials. Modes of fracture and Toughening mechanisms in composites. Failure of composites: failure theories for laminated composites including simple maximum stress and strain criteria as well as complex multi-axial criteria. Manufacturing methods: Hand and spray lay - up, injection molding, resin injection, filament winding, pultrusion, centrifugal casting and prepregs. Pre-requisite: GET 202. MSE 520: Research Project (6 units C: LH/PH ) The students carry out research into selected researchable and need-driven topics pertaining to materials industries. They will be expected to carry out literature review on chosen topics, perform experiments and produce reports. Students will be subjected to both seminars and oral examinations (by both internal and external examiners) on their research projects. Minimum Academic Standards List of Minimum Equipment Equipment and tools that are required for the Materials Engineering programmes are listed below according to the requirements of the major laboratories. The accessories and consumables needed for effective use of these equipment are not listed but will be requested by the department that operates this curriculum when purchasing the equipment. Material Preparation Laboratory: . Jones Riffle Splitter . Rotary Ore Cascade Splitter . Mohs hardness tester . Hand lens . Coal pulverizer . Mettler Toledo Electronic Weighing Balance . Bulk weighing balance . Laboratory oven . A complete set of ASTM metal sieves . Sieve shaker Analytical/ Material Characterization Laboratory:  Atomic Absorption Spectrometer  X-ray Fluorescence equipment  X-ray Diffractometer  Scanning Electron Microscope with EDS  Provisions for wet chemical Analyses Mineral Processing Laboratory: 1. Jaw crusher 2. Cone crusher 3. Rod/Ball mill 4. Gravity jig 5. Shaking table 6. Denver flotation cell 7. Column flotation machine 8. Magnetic Separator 9. High Tension Electrostatic Separator 10. Stuart Magnetic Stirrer hot plate with temperature control 11. Pressure Reactor 12. Knelson Gravity Concentrator 13. Spiral concentrator 14. Hydroclassifier 15. Heavy Medium Separator 17. Muffle furnace 18. Fume cupboard Coal and Coke-Making Laboratory: 1.Coal petrographic equipment 2.Gray-king coke type equipment 3.Geeseller, plastometer 4.Ruhr dilatometer 5.Free Swelling Index equipment 6.Bomb calorimeter Foundry and Heat Treatment Laboratory: 1. Blacksmith Hearth 2. Anvil 3. Compressor and Exhaust Unit 4. Drop hammer 5. Pneumatic forging hammer 6. Ovens 7. Complete Heating furnace 8. Hydraulic – press 9. Hardening furnace 10. Oil/Salt bath with quenching oil 11. Crank shearing machine 12. Reheating furnace 13. Vacuum Annealing furnace 14. Graphite crucibles 15. Oil fired tilting furnace 16. Coreless induction furnace 17. Ladles, tackles and dollys 18. Portable crane hoist 19. Operators safety kit Foundry Material Testing Laboratory: 1. Permeability testing 2. Porosity testing 3. Grain size analysis (set of sieve analysis) 4. Universal sand testing machine 5. Ovens (drying) 6. Weighing balances (digital) 7. Pulverizing machines Welding Laboratory: 1. Welding booths 2. Automatic oxy-cutting machine accessories 3. Arc Welding machine and accessories 4. Plasma welding machine 5. Oxy-acetylene set 6. Spot welding machine 7. Circle cutting machine 8. Die blanks, tools, etc. 9. Welder’s safety kit Mechanics of Materials Laboratory: 1. Impact test apparatus 2. Creep and fatigue testers 3. Macro and Micro hardness testers 4. Strain gauging, photo-elastic behavior 5. Instron Mechanical testing equipment Metallography Laboratory: 1. Sample mounting equipment 2. Optical microscope with Camera for reflecting light studies 3. Microscope with Camera for light transmission studies 4. Sample Polishing machines Polymer Laboratory: 1. De Mattia Flexer impact testing equipment 2. Universal tensile testing on Instron 3. Optical test with turbidity, specular gloss and colour coordinates tests Extractive Metallurgy Laboratory: 1. Drying oven 2. Coal ashing furnace 3. Thermogravimetric Analyser 4. Goniometer for contact angle measurement 5. UV-Vis Spectrophotometer 6. Hardgrove Grindability tester 7. Solvent Extraction unit and 8. Ion Exchange unit Corrosion and Surface Finishing Laboratory: 1. Potentiostat with accessories 2. Electroplating bath 3. Digital weighing balances, pH and conductivity meters 4. Water bath 5. Stuart Magnetic stirrer Nanotechnology Laboratory: 1. Atomic force microscopes (AFM) 2. Ashing, etching, cleaning instruments 3. Atomic force profilers 4.3D atom probes 5. Atomic spectrophotometers 6. 3D printer for rapid prototyping Simulation Laboratory: 1. Laptop for simulation 2. Software for furnace design (Furnxpert) 3. Software for material selection, CES software 4. Software for heat treatment SIMheat Staffing Academic Staff The NUC guidelines on staff/student ratio of 1:15 for Engineering and Technology departments shall apply. However, there should be a minimum of six full-time equivalents of Staff in the department. There is need to have a reasonable number of Staff with doctoral degrees as well as sufficient industrial experience. With a minimum load of 15 Units per semester for students and a minimum of six full-time equivalent of staff in each programme, staff should have a maximum of 15 contact hours per week for lectures, tutorials, practical’s and supervision of projects. NUC requirement encourages all academic staff to have PhD degrees; hence appointment of academic staff is preferably to the Lecturer cadre. Only in exceptional cases are candidates with great promise appointed to Graduate Assistant and Assistant Lecturer positions for the purpose of being developed to the Lecturer cadre as registered PhD candidates. Academic Support Personnel Teaching Assistant/Demonstrators to help lecturers in the conduct of tutorials, practical’s and field work. This category of personnel is not expected to be regular staff as they are to be paid on the basis of approved hourly rate. Administrative Support Staff The services of the administrative support staff are indispensable in the proper administration of the departments and faculty offices. It is important to recruit very competent senior staff that are computer literate. Technical Support Personnel The services of technical support staff, which are indispensable in the proper running of laboratories and workshop/studios are required. It is important to recruit very competent senior technical staff to maintain teaching and research equipment. They are also to undergo regular training to keep them abreast of developments in equipment operation and maintenance. The minimum of academic staff to technical staff ratio of 5:1 should be maintained. Minimum Number of Staff Subject to the general standards specified by NUC: 1. there should be a minimum of two PhDs and four M.Eng degree holders full-time academic staff to mount the programme; 2. each workshop or laboratory should have an adequate number of staff with the right mix, such that each unit or section in that workshop or laboratory can run efficiently; and 3. there should be an adequate number of administrative staff of the appropriate caliber for the office of the Head of Department to run. Student/Staff Ratio The minimum staff-to-student ratio should be 1:15 from 200 level to 500 level. Library In addition to the university and faculty libraries, the programme must have a departmental library well equipped with specialised books and journals in both physical collections and e-collections (E-Resources) of various types. Various field and research reports of the programme must also be available in the library for staff, students and researchers. The library must be connected to subscribed repository of:  institutions (national and international);  open access sources;  professional bodies’ e- learning platforms, and  relevant international organizations. The library must also have adequate facilities.  for reading;  provisions for lending, and  reservation unit for specialised materials. Classrooms, Laboratory, Workshops, Offices and Clinics Academic and Non-Academic Spaces The NUC recommends the following physical space requirement: Academic m2 Professor’s Office 18.50 Head of Department’s Office 18.50 Tutorial Teaching Staff Space 13.50 Other Teaching Staff Space 7.00 Technical Staff Space 7.00 Science Staff Research Laboratory 16.50 Engineering Staff Research Laboratory 14.50 Seminar Space per student 1.85 Drawing Office Space (A.O. Board) (Per Student) 4.60 Drawing Office Space (A.I. Board) (Per Student) 3.70 Laboratory Space 7.50 Non-Academic Secretarial Space 7.00 Office Accommodation The requirements for office accommodation are: 1. 13 academic offices. 2. 1 professorial type in the department. Size: each of the office is about 13.5 m S/No Office No in Room Facilities 1. HOD 1 Table, chairs, A/C, filing cabinet, bookshelves, computer unit, Secretary and facilities. 2. Professor 1 Table, chairs, A/C, filing cabinet, bookshelves, computer unit, Secretary and facilities. 3. Reader 1 Table, chairs, A/C, filing cabinet, bookshelves, computer unit. 4. Senior 1 Table, chairs, A/C, filing cabinet, bookshelves, Lecturer computer unit. 5. Lecturer I 2 Table, chairs, fan, filing cabinet, bookshelves. 6. Lecturer II 3 Table, chairs, fan, filing cabinet, bookshelves.