Catalog Description
The overall goal of the class is to introduce the students to the properties and production, and
environmental implications, of common materials, including biobased, metals, plastics, ceramics, and
composites. The class will connect the structure and mechanical properties of these common
materials with the technology used for producing the materials, and also the processing of these
materials into useful items. In addition to the material properties, the environmental impacts, e.g.,
emissions of carbon, water, and pollutants, will be discussed. The concept of Life Cycle Analysis will
be introduced.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
Explain in detail how the properties of common materials, including biobased materials, metals,
polymers, ceramics, and composites are related to their structure and manufacturing process
Explain the basic steps required for the processing of these common materials
Apply the basic tenets of sustainability to the production and performance of materials.
Explain the material life cycle and how tools such as Life Cycle Analyses (LCA) and industrial
ecology are used to assess sustainability of materials
This course involves two hours of lecture, and one 3-hour laboratory session.
All course learning materials will be made available, and all assignments will be submitted through
the learning management system called Moodle. It is important that you gain familiarity with using
this online tool. Here is a link to “Learning with Moodle”:
https://moodle-projects.wolfware.ncsu.edu/course/view.php?id=226
Lecture mode of delivery: face-to-face.
Lab mode of delivery: face-to-face. Laboratory sessions will be varied and will include experiments,
quizzes/exams, problem sets, presentations, and group work. Some lab activities will involve pre-lab
videos; students are expected to watch the pre-lab video prior to the hands-on lab meeting.
Attendance will be checked and some quizzes will be administered via Top Hat. You will be receiving
from the instructor a Top-Hat-related email that contains instructions for signing up, joining your
course, and other useful resources.
20-Aug-24 A brief history of materials
22-Aug-24 Resource consumption
27-Aug-24 Resource consumption
29-Aug-24 Materials life cycle
03-Sep-24 Materials life cycle
05-Sep-24 Energy
10-Sep-24 Sustainable design
12-Sep-24 Sustainable design
17-Sep-24 Wellness Day (No Class)
19-Sep-24 Metals
24-Sep-24 Metals
26-Sep-24 Ceramics
01-Oct-24 Ceramics
03-Oct-24 Polymers
08-Oct-24 Polymers
10-Oct-24 Natural Fibers
15-Oct-24 Fall Break (No Classes)
17-Oct-24 Natural fibers
22-Oct-24 Structure of wood (softwoods)
24-Oct-24 Chemistry of wood and bio-based materials
29-Oct-24 Chemistry of wood and bio-based materials
31-Oct-24 Structure of wood (hardwoods)
05-Nov-24 Composites
07-Nov-24 Composites
12-Nov-24 Additive Manufacturing
14-Nov-24 Additive Manufacturing
19-Nov-24 Subtractive Manufacturing
21-Nov-24 Forest Resources
26-Nov-24 Pulp and Paper
28-Nov-24 Thanksgiving
03-Dec-24 Biomass Thermochemical Conversion
10-Dec-24 Final Exam
SYLLABUS LINKS