MECHENG 743 : Composite Materials
Engineering
2021 Semester One (1213) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
- Introduction to composites
- Manufacturing and applications for composite materials
- Mechanics of Composite Lamina and Laminates - including micromechanics and classical laminate theory
- Finite element analysis of composite materials, undertaken in ABAQUS/CAE
- Failure analysis and predictions for composite materials
- Analysis and design of sandwich structures
- Structural design with composites
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 2: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 3: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 4: | Communication and Engagement |
| Capability 5: | Independence and Integrity |
| Capability 6: | Social and Environmental Responsibilities |
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse and Design Sandwich Structures: The student will be able to analyse and predict stresses, strains and deformations sandwich composites. They will be able to evaluate failure modes of simple sandwich structures. They will be able to apply suitable design approaches for sandwich composites across a range of different applications. (Capability 1.1 and 3.2)
- Analyse Failure of composites: The student will be able to apply failure theories to laminated composites. They will be able to analyse the strength of composite materials by applying failure criteria. (Capability 1.1 and 3.2)
- Analyse Composites using Finite Element Analysis: The student will be able to apply suitable finite element modelling procedure for stress and deformation analysis of composites. They will be able to create correct finite element models of composite structures, and validate their usage. They will be able to solve the finite element model and interpret the results in the context of structural designs. (Capability 1.1, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1 and 4.2)
- Understand Manufacturing of composite materials: The student will be able to classify different manufacturing methods for production of various composties, including fibre-reinforced composites. They will be able to choose suitable processing techniques and manufacturing processes, depending on the material type and applications, for fabricating specific composite products. (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 6.1 and 6.2)
- Analyse Macromechanics of composite materials: The student will be able to describe and explain mechanical behaviour of laminates using macromechanics. They will be able to analyze composite laminates using classical lamination theory. They will be able to compute stresses or strains in laminates under mechanical loading. (Capability 1.1 and 3.2)
- Use Generalised Hooke’s Law: The student will be able to give examples of orthotropic and transversely isotropic materials. They will be able to describe stress-strain relations in orthotropic and transversely isotropic materials. They will be able to apply Hooke’s law to composite materials to determine stresses and strains. They will be able to compute stresses and strains in composite materials. (Capability 1.1, 2.2 and 3.2)
- Design principles of composite laminates and structures: The student will be able to identify appropriate design methods for different composite structures, particularly the use of finite element methods and failure analysis. They will be able to select appropriate material systems among various alternatives (based on strength and stiffness criteria) for composite structure designs and identify the sources of material properties for constituent materials. They will be able to evaluate various alternative design concepts and approaches for the design of composite products and compare their relative merits and demerits. The student will be able to design simple composite components using a variety of tools, analysis and modelling techniques and justify the choice of most suitable design process. (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2 and 6.1)
- Apply Micromechanics of composites: The student will be able to identify the constituent materials of composites (fibres and polymers) and their roles in relation to strength and stiffness. They will be able to compute effective properties of fibre-reinforced composite materials using the rules of mixtures. They will be able to apply stress-strain transformation to determine stresses and strains in a lamina for a given direction as specified by a co-ordinate system. They will be able to analyse the behaviour of laminae under conditions of plane stress. They will be able to compute the stresses and strains in a lamina transformation of stresses and strains within a lamina. (Capability 1.1, 3.1 and 3.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Test | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Laboratories | 10% | Individual Coursework |
| Assignments | 20% | Individual Coursework |
| Final Exam | 60% | Individual Coursework |
| 4 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |||
| Test | ||||||||||
| Laboratories | ||||||||||
| Assignments | ||||||||||
| Final Exam | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 36 hours of lectures, five 2 hour tutorials, two 2 hour labs, 15 hours of reading and thinking about the content, 40 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation and 45 hours completing exam preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including labs and tutorials to complete components of the course.
Lectures: Three 1-hour lectures per week. Lectures are recorded where possible
Tutorials: Five 2-hour ABAQUS FEA tutorials across the semester
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials and labs will not be available as recordings.
The course will not include live online events.
Attendance on campus is required for the test and exam.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Lecture slides, problem sheets and worked examples will be available online, released progressively throughout the course. The recommended textbook for the course is Mechanics of Materials by Hibbler
Health & Safety
Students are expected to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Health and Safety section of the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Digital Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.