Mechanical Engineering

FUELS Fossil fuel: origin and reserves; The thermodynamics of combustion; solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels and propellants; fuels and pollution. Overview of chemical and petroleum derivatives. LUBRICANTS Viscosity. Liquid lubricants: oils and greases. Solid lubricants: graphite, Teflon, and ceramic. POLYMERIC MATERIALS Nature of macromolecules: polymerization. Linear polymers branched and crosslinked. Copolymers. The amorphous polymers. Fibers: rayon, nylon, polyester, polyacrylic. Carbon fibers. Chemical and physical characteristics, technological properties, and their use. Rubber: nature and origin of the elasticity of the rubber. Vulcanization. Natural and synthetic rubbers. Chemical and physical characteristics, technological properties and their use. Thermosetting polymers: structure and general properties. GLASS AND CERAMICS MATERIALS The crystal structures of silica and silicates. Formation of silica glass. Chemical and physical characteristics, technological properties, and their use. The ceramic. Chemical, mechanical and thermal properties of ceramics. Chemical processes in the manufacture of ceramic materials. Refractories. NATURAL COMPOSITE MATERIALS Wood: Physical and chemical characteristics, technological properties. MATERIALS DEGRADATION

The materials field represents an interdisciplinary subject, spanning the physics and chemistry of matter, engineering applications and industrial manufacturing processes. Therefore, the students are expected to have a good knowledge of maths (Analisi I) and fundamental sciences including chemistry (Chemistry) and physics (Physics I).

- W.F. Smith “Elementi di Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali”, McGraw-Hill ed. - W. D. Callister, D. G. Rethwisch “Materiali per l’Ingegneria Civile ed Industriale”. Edises, 2015 - Lecture notes provided by the teachers.

Although attendance is optional, given the large number of materials covered, it is recommended to attend lessons in order to understand the spirit of the course well: starting from the chemistry of the materials, to understand and predict the technological behavior of the material.

The course, being divided in two parts, is based on two different and separate examinations. The final mark is the average of the marks received in the two parts. Each mark needs to be higher than 18/30. As for the "Chemistry of materials", each student is assigned an didattic task based on the choice of a material for a specific application. The student will be evaluated especially for what are the chemical properties of the material and how these determine the technological behavior, the processes of synthesis of the material and the chemical aspects of their degradation. Starting from the assigned didactic task, other questions are asked concerning other materials to verify the acquisition, from a chemical point of view, of the critical sense that must guide, in the design, the choice of the right material.