Chemical Engineering

1. Introduction to composite materials and their classification 2. Mechanics of composite materials Macromechanical analysis of the lamina • Introduction; • Recalls on stresses and deformations; • Hooke's law for different types of materials (isotropic, anisotropic, orthotropic, ...) • Hooke's law for a unidirectional sheet (2D) (hypothesis of plane stress state; reduction of Hooke's law from the three-dimensional to the two-dimensional case; relationship between the stiffness and compliance matrices with the engineering elastic constants of the sheet); • Stress-strain relationship for a lamina with arbitrary orientation; • Engineering constants for a sheet with arbitrary orientation; • Strength criteria for a lamina with arbitrary orientation (maximum deformation, maximum stress, Tsai-Hill and Tsai-Wu). Micromechanical analysis of the lamina • Introduction; • Determination of E1, E2, G12, ν12; • Halpin-Tsai semiempirical model; • Evaluation of the tensile strength of the unidirectional foil. Lamina analysis with non-continuous reinforcement • Introduction; • Lamina with short fibers aligned and randomly arranged. Macromechanical analysis of laminates • Introduction; • Classical laminate theory; • Strength criteria of laminates. 3. Manufacturing processes of polymer-matrix composite materials (PMCs) •Introduction; • Prepreg lay-up process; Wet lay-up process; Spray-up process; Filament winding process; Pultrusion process; Resin Transfer molding process; Additive manufacturing processes. 4. Composite materials with ceramic matrix (CMC) • Introduction; • Fibers and matrices commonly used in CMCs; • Mechanical properties of ceramic matrix composites and related applications; • Toughening mechanisms; • CMC manufacturing processes: Powder processing, Slurry infiltration and consolidation, Polymer infiltration and pyrolysis, Chemical Vapor Infiltration. 5. Metal Matrix Composite Materials (MMC) • Introduction; • Fibers and matrices commonly used in MMCs; • Mechanical properties of metal matrix composites and related applications; • MMC manufacturing processes: Vacuum hot pressing, Powder Metallurgy, Casting / Liquid Metal Infiltration, Squeeze Casting. 6. Nanocomposites • Introduction and classification of nanostructured materials; • Introduction and classification of nano-scale reinforcements; • Polymer matrix nanocomposites: preparation and properties; • Metal matrix nanocomposites: preparation and properties; • Ceramic matrix nanocomposites: preparation and properties.

The composite 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 and fundamental sciences including chemistry, physics and mechanics of metal, polymer and ceramic materials.

1) Fiber-Reinforced Composites, Materials, Manufacturing, and Design, Third Edition, P.K. Mallick; 2) Principles of Composite Material Mechanics, 4th edition, Ronald F. Gibson; 3) An Introduction to Composite Materials, Third Edition, T.W.Clyne, D. Hull.

The teaching activities are organized in traditional lecture-based classes for the acquisition of knowledge. Students will be actively engaged by collecting information and asking questions. Numerical exercises will be solved in class in order to make theory more easily learned.

Class attendance is not compulsory, even though it is highly recommended.

The assessment will be based on the results of an oral interview, aimed at verifying the acquisition of the following knowledge and skills: - knowledge of microstructure, properties, design, production and transformation processes, use, analysis, characterization, degradation and recycle of composite materials; - ability to apply this knowledge to select the composite materials suitable for different applications, to recognize the conditions of potential in- service risks, to choose the most appropriate tests to evaluate the performance of composite materials. The minimum grade for passing the exam (18/30) is achieved only if the student is able to correctly classify and discuss the physical-mechanical properties of the main families of composite materials. For the final evaluation the following aspects will be considered: - the level of knowledge - the ability to securely correlate different topics - the ability of applying knowledge to the solution of problems of limited complexity in the field of materials engineering - the ability to communicate the acquired knowledge and to illustrate the technical solutions proposed with clarity using a proper technical vocabulary. In order to obtain the highest mark (30/30 cum laude), the student must demonstrate that he/she has acquired excellent knowledge of all the topics covered in the course, and that he/she can apply this knowledge to the solution of problems in the field of industrial engineering, proposing original solutions and showing the results of an autonomous extension of knowledge.

The teaching activities are organized in traditional lecture-based classes for the acquisition of knowledge. Students will be actively engaged by collecting information and asking questions. Numerical exercises will be solved in class in order to make theory more easily learned.