Structure and Properties of Materials

Course Description

EGN3365 – Structure and Properties of Materials is a 3-credit upper-division lecture course in the Engineering: General taxonomy of Florida's Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS). The course introduces the fundamental relationship between the atomic-scale structure of engineering materials and their macroscopic properties — mechanical, thermal, electrical, and chemical. Students learn how the bonding, crystal structure, defects, and microstructure of metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites determine the materials' performance in engineering applications, and how processing (heat treatment, alloying, mechanical work) can be used to tailor those properties.

The course is sometimes titled "Materials Engineering I," "Engineering Materials I," or "Materials in Engineering: An Introduction." It is a required course in mechanical, aerospace, civil, biomedical, and ocean engineering programs at Florida public universities (UF, USF, UCF, FAU, FIU, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, FGCU, Florida Polytechnic University), and serves as the analytical foundation for upper-division courses in machine design, manufacturing, structural design, biomaterials, and corrosion engineering.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Describe the atomic structure and interatomic bonding of engineering materials, including ionic, covalent, metallic, and secondary bonding, and relate bond character to material properties.
• Identify and characterize crystalline structures (BCC, FCC, HCP), compute atomic packing factors, and interpret Miller indices for directions and planes.
• Identify imperfections in solids, including point defects, dislocations, grain boundaries, and other interfacial defects, and explain their influence on properties.
• Apply principles of diffusion, including Fick's first and second laws, to evaluate steady-state and non-steady-state diffusion processes.
• Interpret stress-strain diagrams and identify mechanical properties: modulus of elasticity, yield strength, tensile strength, ductility, toughness, hardness, and resilience.
• Explain the mechanisms of plastic deformation, strengthening, and recrystallization, including grain-size strengthening, solid-solution strengthening, strain hardening, and precipitation hardening.
• Analyze failure mechanisms including ductile and brittle fracture, fatigue (S-N curves and crack propagation), and creep.
• Read and interpret phase diagrams, including binary isomorphous and binary eutectic systems, and apply the lever rule to determine phase compositions and amounts.
• Describe iron-carbon (Fe-C) phase transformations, including the formation of pearlite, bainite, and martensite; describe heat-treatment processes (annealing, normalizing, quenching, tempering).
• Compare the structures, properties, and applications of the major classes of engineering materials: metals and alloys, ceramics, polymers, and composites.

Optional Outcomes

Depending on institutional emphasis, students may also:

• Describe electrical properties of materials, including conductivity, semiconductors, dielectrics, and ferroelectrics.
• Describe thermal properties of materials, including thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and thermal expansion.
• Describe magnetic properties of materials, including diamagnetism, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism, and ferrimagnetism.
• Apply principles of corrosion and environmental degradation, including electrochemical cells, galvanic series, and corrosion prevention strategies.
• Apply materials selection methodology, including Ashby charts, to engineering design problems.
• Analyze composite materials, including rule-of-mixtures predictions for stiffness and strength of fiber-reinforced composites.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Introduction to Materials Science: Classification of engineering materials; structure-property relationships; processing-structure-properties-performance paradigm.
• Atomic Structure and Bonding: Atomic models; periodic table; primary bonds (ionic, covalent, metallic) and secondary bonds (van der Waals, hydrogen).
• Crystalline Structures: BCC, FCC, HCP unit cells; atomic packing factors; coordination numbers; Miller indices for directions and planes; X-ray diffraction (introductory).
• Imperfections in Solids: Point defects (vacancies, interstitials, substitutional impurities); linear defects (dislocations — edge, screw, mixed); interfacial defects (grain boundaries, twin boundaries); volume defects.
• Diffusion: Diffusion mechanisms; Fick's first law (steady-state); Fick's second law (non-steady-state); temperature dependence (Arrhenius behavior).
• Mechanical Properties of Metals: Stress-strain testing; elastic and plastic deformation; modulus of elasticity, yield strength, tensile strength, ductility; hardness testing.
• Strengthening Mechanisms: Grain-size strengthening (Hall-Petch); solid-solution strengthening; strain hardening (cold working); precipitation hardening; recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth.
• Failure: Ductile and brittle fracture; principles of fracture mechanics (introductory); fatigue (S-N behavior, fatigue limit); creep deformation.
• Phase Diagrams: Components, phases, and phase rules; binary isomorphous systems; binary eutectic systems; lever rule; intermediate phases and intermetallic compounds.
• Iron-Carbon System: Iron-carbon phase diagram; development of microstructure in steels; pearlite, bainite, martensite; isothermal transformation and continuous cooling diagrams.
• Heat Treatment of Steels: Annealing, normalizing, quenching, tempering; hardenability; case hardening (carburizing, nitriding).
• Polymers, Ceramics, and Composites: Polymer structures, thermoplastics vs. thermosets, glass transition temperature; ceramic structures and properties; composite materials and rule-of-mixtures.

Optional Topics

• Electrical Properties: Conductors, insulators, and semiconductors; intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors; introduction to dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric behavior.
• Thermal Properties: Heat capacity; thermal expansion; thermal conductivity.
• Magnetic Properties: Magnetic dipoles; ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, and ferrimagnetism; soft and hard magnetic materials.
• Corrosion and Degradation: Electrochemical principles; oxidation; galvanic series; corrosion prevention.
• Materials Selection: Ashby material selection charts; design-for-property optimization.
• Biomaterials: Biocompatibility, materials for medical implants and devices.

Resources & Tools

• Standard Textbook: Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction by William D. Callister, Jr. and David G. Rethwisch (most widely adopted in Florida; commonly used in 9th, 10th, or 11th editions)
• Alternative Textbooks: The Science and Engineering of Materials by Askeland, Fulay, and Wright; Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering by Smith and Hashemi; Engineering Materials Science by M. Ohring
• Online Homework Platforms: Wiley Plus (Callister); McGraw-Hill Connect
• Reference Standards: ASTM standards for materials testing (ASTM E8 for tension testing, E18 for hardness, E466 for fatigue, etc.); ASM Handbook series
• Computational Tools: CES EduPack (Granta Design) for materials selection (commonly available through institutions); MATLAB for data analysis in materials labs
• Visualization Resources: Crystal structure viewers (Jmol, VESTA); MATTER Project online materials science resources; MIT OpenCourseWare materials science lectures

Career Pathways

EGN3365 provides foundational knowledge for engineering disciplines that involve material selection, design, and manufacturing. Successful completion supports progression into the following:

• Mechanical Engineering – Foundation for machine design, manufacturing processes, and materials selection for mechanical components.
• Aerospace Engineering – Foundation for advanced aerospace materials (Ti and Ni alloys, composites, ceramics for thermal protection); directly relevant to Florida's Space Coast aerospace industry.
• Civil and Structural Engineering – Foundation for steel, concrete, and timber design and the durability of infrastructure materials.
• Biomedical Engineering – Foundation for biomaterials, medical implants (titanium alloys, stainless steel, polymers, ceramics), and tissue-engineering scaffolds.
• Materials and Manufacturing Engineering – Foundation for careers as materials engineer, metallurgist, polymer engineer, or manufacturing engineer.
• Florida Industry Sectors – Strong relevance to Florida's aerospace and defense (Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies), advanced manufacturing, semiconductor (with growing presence in central Florida), biomedical/pharmaceutical, and energy industries.

Special Information

FE Examination Preparation

Materials science is a topic area on the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination, particularly the Mechanical, Civil, and Other Disciplines specifications. Mastery of structure-property relationships, phase diagrams, mechanical properties, and failure mechanisms developed in EGN3365 directly supports FE preparation, the first step toward Professional Engineer (P.E.) licensure in Florida.

Course Title and Number Variations

This course is offered under varying titles across Florida public universities: "Structure and Properties of Materials" (UCF), "Materials Engineering" or "Materials in Engineering: An Introduction" (FIU), "Materials Engineering I" (USF), "Engineering Materials I" (FAU), and "Materials Science" (Florida Polytechnic). At UCF the course is sometimes cross-listed with EMA 3706 – Structure and Properties of Aerospace Materials. Course content and learning outcomes are equivalent under Florida SCNS.

Foundation for Upper-Division Coursework

EGN3365 is a prerequisite or critical preparation for upper-division courses including manufacturing processes, machine design, biomaterials, corrosion engineering, composite materials, and structural design. Strong preparation in this course is essential for engineering students who will work with material-related design decisions in industry.