Learn when it suits you — flexible learning for job‑ready Materials Science & Engineering knowledge & skills.

COURSE OVERVIEW

This is a fast-track Materials Science & Engineering course which is unrivalled in the market and which provides candidates with comprehensive knowledge, skills & understanding on the structure, properties, applications, manufacture, inspection & testing of engineering materials & advanced materials, including metallic materials (ferrous & non-ferrous metals & alloys), as well as non-metallic materials including ceramics, carbons, polymers and composites. 

Our training programme has been developed by Chartered Engineers with professional accreditation in Metallurgy & Metallurgical Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering and Welding Technology and with decades of industry experience.

No Prior Knowledge Required 

The course is suitable for candidates at all levels, including those new to engineering materials, as no specific qualification entry requirements are required. 

It would also benefit candidates in the following roles looking to increase their knowledge & skills: Corrosion Engineer; Materials Engineer; Materials Technologist; Mechanical Engineer; Metallurgist; Quality Manager; Quality Engineer; NDT Technician; Welding Inspector; Asset Integrity / Reliability Engineer; Plant / Operations Engineer; Maintenance Supervisor / Planner; Piping / Pressure Vessel Designer; Sales Manager; Welding Engineer / Fabricator; Procurement / Specification Engineer; Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Manager; Marine / Offshore Engineer; R&D Scientist; Laboratory Technician. 

The course is focussed on providing practical, work-place ready skills that employers and industry require, but that many academic programmes do not provide.

Course Structure

The course is divided into 8 MODULES as follows:

1. Physical Metallurgy & Crystalline Structure of Metals & Alloys

2. Mechanical Properties & their Measurement

3. Inspection: Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Techniques

4. Steelmaking & Steel Manufacturing Processes

5. Metallurgy of Ferrous Metals (Steel, Stainless Steel & Cast Iron.) 

6. Metallurgy of Non-Ferrous Metals: Nickel & its alloys; Aluminium & its alloys; Titanium & its alloys; Magnesium g alloys; Zirconium alloys; Cobalt alloys; Copper & its alloys; Refractory Metals (Niobium, Molybdenum, Tantalum, Tungsten, Rhenium); High Entropy Alloys HEAs.

7. Metal Joining: Welding Processes. 

8. Structure, Properties, Applications & Manufacture of Non-Metallic Materials: Ceramics; Carbons; Polymers & Composites

A complete list of topics covered on the course is shown further down the page under the heading: 'COURSE CONTENT.'

Flexible Self Study

The course is completed by self study, which means candidates can start and progress through the training at anytime, anywhere & at their own pace. No need to wait for course dates for classroom-based or online training courses and no need to pay travelling expenses & to spend time away paying for hotels & other living expenses. All course materials would be posted & e-mailed to the candidate. Total estimated self study time required to complete the course is 85 hours. The start date for the training would follow receipt of payment of the course fees.  During their progression through the course, the candidate also has the option to request a tutorial session with the Course Tutor of up to 2 hours duration.

Candidates also receive a comprehensive, full-colour Training Handbook that serves as both a course guide and a valuable reference tool after completion of the course.

Tutor Support

Candidates also have the support of a Course Tutor as they progress through the course.

Accreditation

Our courses also have accreditation from highly experienced, professionally qualified Chartered Engineers (CEng), Materials Engineers, Metallurgists (MIMMM) & Welding Technologists (MWeldI), with decades of industry experience. The value of our certifications to industry has also been recognised by top organisations & professional bodies. 

Recognition from Leading Organisations & Professional Bodies

Our training has empowered professionals from leading organisations & professional bodies including: Arcelor Mittal; Bourne Steel; J & D Pierce Contracts Ltd; UKRI - Science & Technologies Facilities Council; TAQA Bratani; Moog Aircraft Group; Millar Callaghan Engineering Services Ltd; Murphy Group; Professional Lifting Services Ltd; Mueller Europe; WQiC; Harold Newsome Ltd; William Haley Engineering Ltd; RWE Generation UK PLC; TEi Ltd; The Institute of Cast Metal Engineers (ICME); Sulzer; Thames Reinforcements; Lemon Reinforcement; HyTen Chatham and The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC.)

CERTIFICATION

Candidates are assessed on the training by continuous assessment and those who achieve the required standard will be awarded a 'PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE IN MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING (CertMatEng)' & CPD 85 HOURS.

INDUSTRY SECTORS

The knowledge & skills gained on the course are valuable a wide range of engineering materials industry sectors, including:

🔺 AEROSPACE

🔺 AUTOMOTIVE

🔺 OIL & GAS

🔺CHEMICAL

🔺POWER GENERATION, INCLUDING NUCLEAR

🔺ENGINEERING

🔺CONSTRUCTION

🔺FOOD & DRINK

🔺DEFENCE

SELF STUDY COURSE BOOKING FORM

Course Fees: £1950 per person, inclusive of a comprehensive, full colour Training Handbook & all Assessment & Certification fees.

Please click on the LINK to download and complete the SELF STUDY booking form if you would like to make a booking, or Contact Us if you require any further information. 

COURSE CONTENT

PHYSICAL METALLURGY & CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE OF METALS & ALLOYS

• ATOMS & METALLIC BONDS

• CRYSTAL LATTICES 

• CRYSTAL SYSTEMS

• CRYSTALS & GRAINS

• GRAIN SIZE & EFFECT ON MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

• MEASURING GRAIN SIZE

• MALLEABILITY

• SLIP & TWINNING

• SLIP & DISLOCATIONS

• MILLER INDICES

• METAL CREEP

• WROUGHT PRODUCTS

• HOT WORKING & DYNAMIC RECRYSTALLISATION

• COLD WORKING & WORK HARDENING

• ANNEALING, ANNEALING TWINS & STACKING FAULTS

• CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC TEXTURE

• EFFECT OF ALLOYING: 

  • SOLID SOLUTIONS 

  • INTERMEDIATE PHASES: 

    • INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS

    • METALLIC COMPOUNDS

    • ORDERED SOLID SOLUTIONS 

  • SOLUTE PHASE

  • METAL STRENGTHENING MECHANISMS

  • BINARY & TERNARY PHASE DIAGRAMS 

  • PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS

  • IRON CARBON PHASE DIAGRAM

  • METASTABLE PHASES & THE MARTENSITE TRANSFORMATION IN STEEL

  • PRECIPITATION HARDENING

  • TIME TEMPERATURE TRANSFORMATION (TTT) DIAGRAMS

  • CONTINUOUS COOLING TRANSFORMATION DIAGRAMS

  • METALLOGRAPHY-MACROSTRUCTURAL & MICROSTRUCTURAL EXAMINATION

  • OPTICAL MICROSCOPY

  • NON-METALLIC INCLUSIONS

  • ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

HEAT TREATMENTS

• ANNEALING 

• QUENCHING

• TEMPERING

• NORMALISING

• AUSTEMPERING 

• MARTEMPERING

• PRECIPITATION HARDENING

• SOLUTION TREATMENT

• PATENTING

• STRESS RELIEVING

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES & THEIR MEASUREMENT

• TENSILE TESTING 

• FLEXURAL TESTING

• COMPRESSION TESTING

• CHARPY IMPACT TESTING 

• DROP WEIGHT (PELLINI) TESTING

• DROP WEIGHT TEAR TESTING

• HARDNESS TESTING

• CREEP & STRESS RUPTURE TESTING 

• FRACTURE MECHANICS TESTING

• FATIGUE TESTING

• PROOF TESTING

• METALS CERTIFICATION TO BS EN 10204

INSPECTION: NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING (NDT) TECHNIQUES

• ULTRASONIC TESTING (UT)

• MAGNETIC PARTICLE TESTING (MT)

• DYE PENETRANT TESTING (PT)

• EDDY CURRENT TESTING (ET)

• RADIOGRAPHIC TESTING  (RT)  

STEELMAKING & STEEL MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

• STEEL MANUFACTURE FROM IRON ORE (BF / BOS)

• ELECTRIC ARC FURNACE STEELMAKING

• LOW CARBON EMISSIONS 'GREEN' STEELMAKING

• SECONDARY STEELMAKING

• STAINLESS STEELMAKING (AOD & VOD PROCESSES)

• VACUUM INDUCTION MELTING 

• CONTINOUS CASTING

• HOT ROLLED PRODUCTS: SECTIONS; PLATES; BARS; RAIL; WIRE ROD 

• QUENCHING & SELF TEMPERING (QST) PROCESS

• PIPE MANUFACTURE

• SEAMLESS & WELDED PRECISION TUBE MANUFACTURE

• INGOT CASTING

• SOLIDIFICATION STRUCTURES: DENDRITES; COLUMNAR GRAINS; EQUIAXED GRAINS

• SEGREGATION; SULPHUR PRINTING 

• HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT

• HIGH INTEGRITY REMELTING PROCESSES (ESR & VAR) 

• FATIGUE FAILURE & CORROSION FATIGUE

• OPEN DIE & CLOSED DIE FORGING 

• RING ROLLING

• COLD ROLLING

• WIRE DRAWING 

• BRIGHT BAR

• SHEET METAL FORMING

• SAND CASTING

• INVESTMENT CASTING 

• CENTRIFUGAL CASTING

• MACHINING

• POWDER METALLURGY

• ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

• HARDFACING & CORROSION PROTECTION TECHNIQUES

METALLURGY OF STEEL

• ROLES OF ALLOYING ELEMENTS

• HARDENABILITY: JOMINY TESTING & DI CALCULATION

• QUENCHING & TEMPERING

• TEMPER EMBRITTLEMENT

• WELDABILITY: CARBON EQUIVALENT VALUE 

• CLASSIFICATIONS AND DESIGNATIONS OF STEELS:

  • PLAIN CARBON STEELS

  • CARBON MANGANESE & MICROALLOYED (HSLA) STEELS INCLUDING ADVANCED HIGH STRENGTH STEELS - TRIP STEELS

  • STRUCTURAL STEELS & BS EN 10025

  • REINFORCING STEELS & BS 4449

  • LOW ALLOY & ALLOY STEELS:

    • CRYOGENIC STEELS

    • HIGH TEMPERATURE, CREEP RESISTANT STEELS

    • STEELS FOR SOUR SERVICE 

    • ADVANCED HIGH STRENGTH STEELS-DUAL PHASE STEELS

    • TOOL STEELS & POWDER METALLURGY

    • MANGANESE STEEL:

      • Hadfields Mn Steel

      • Advanced High Strength Steels TWIP Steel

    • MARAGING STEEL

• SURFACE HARDENING (CARBURISING, NITRIDING, FLAME HARDENING, INDUCTION HARDENING; WELD OVERLAYS)

METALLURGY OF CAST IRON

• HISTORY OF CAST IRON

• CAST IRON BRIDGES

• CHARACTERISTICS OF CAST IRON

• INOCULATION TO PROMOTE GRAPHITE SOLIDIFICATION

• CARBON EQUIVALENT

• THERMAL ANALYSIS

• CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EUTECTIC TRANSFORMATION

• BLAST FURNACE IRONMAKING

• TYPES OF MELTING UNITS

• CENTRIFUGAL CASTING

• EFFECT OF ALLOYING ELEMENTS

• TYPES OF CAST IRON:

  • GREY IRON 

  • AUSTENITIC GREY IRON 'NI-RESIST'

  • WHITE IRON

  • ALLOYED WHITE IRON:

    • 'NI-HARD'

    • HIGH CHROMIUM IRON

  • DUCTILE IRON:

    • HEAT TREATMENTS

    • AUSTENITIC DUCTILE IRON 'NI-RESIST'

    • Si-Mo IRON

    • AUSTEMPERED DUCTILE IRON (ADI)

  • COMPACTED GRAPHITE IRON

  • MALLEABLE IRON      

METALLURGY OF STAINLESS STEEL

• COMPOSITION OF STAINLESS STEELS

• FERRITIC; MARTENSITIC; AUSTENITIC; DUPLEX; PRECIPITATION HARDENING GRADES

• TYPES OF AQUEOUS CORROSION: UNIFORM CORROSION; CREVICE CORROSION; PITTING CORROSION; STRESS CORROSION CRACKING; GALVANIC CORROSION; EROSION-CORROSION

• HIGH TEMPERATURE CORROSION

• CORROSION TESTING

METALLURGY OF NON-FERROUS METALS & ALLOYS

• NICKEL ALLOYS (CORROSION RESISTANT ALLOYS & HEAT RESISTANT ALLOYS 'SUPERALLOYS')

• ALUMINIUM & ITS ALLOYS (1xxx; 2xxx; 3xxx; 4xxx; 5xxx; 6xxx; 7xxx & 8xxx SERIES WROUGHT ALLOYS & ALUMINIUM CASTING ALLOYS) 

• TITANIUM & ITS ALLOYS (ALPHA ALLOYS; ALPHA-BETA ALLOYS; BETA ALLOYS; TITANIUM ALUMINIDES)

• COPPER & ITS ALLOYS:

  1. • Cu-Zn ALLOYS 'Brasses'

     • Cu-Sn ALLOYS 'Bronzes'

     • Cu-Sn-P ALLOYS ‘Phosphor Bronzes’

     • Cu-Si ALLOYS ‘Silicon Bronzes’                                                                    

     • Cu-Al ALLOYS ‘Aluminium Bronzes’                                                                  

     • Cu-Be ALLOYS ‘Beryllium Copper’    

     • Cu-Ni Alloys       

     • Cu-Ni-Si Alloys

     • Cu-Ni-Al Alloys

     • Cu-Ni-Sn 'Spinodal' Alloys    

     • Principles of Brazing

• MAGNESIUM ALLOYS (WROUGHT ALLOYS & CAST ALLOYS)

• ZIRCONIUM ALLOYS (COMMERCIAL GRADES & NUCLEAR REACTOR GRADES)

• COBALT ALLOYS (SUPERALLOYS; ENGINEERING GRADES; MEDICAL PROSTHETICS; STELLITES; POWDER METALLURGY)

• REFRACTORY METALS: NIOBIUM (Nb); MOLYBDENUM (Mo); TANTALUM (Ta); TUNGSTEN (W) and RHENIUM (Re) 

• HIGH ENTROPY ALLOYS (HEAs)

METAL JOINING TECHNIQUES: WELDING

• WIDELY USED FUSION WELDING PROCESSES: MMA; MIG & MAG; TIG; SAW

• SOLID STATE WELDING PROCESSES

COMPOUNDS

• IONIC & COVALENT BONDING 

NON-METALLIC MATERIALS: CERAMICS

• STRUCTURAL CLAY PRODUCTS

• REFRACTORIES

• GLASSES

NON-METALLIC MATERIALS: CARBONS

• DIAMOND

• GRAPHITE

• GRAPHENE

• NANOTUBES

• FULLERENES

NON-METALLIC MATERIALS: POLYMERS

• PLASTICS

• ELASTOMERS

• FIBRES

• ADHESIVES

NON-METALLIC MATERIALS: COMPOSITE MATERIALS

• PARTICLE REINFORCED COMPOSITES

• FIBRE REINFORCED COMPOSITES: 

•     GLASS FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMERS (GFRPs)

•     CARBON FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMERS (CFRPs)

•     ARAMID FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITES

•     BASALT FIBRE REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITES

•     METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES (MMCs)

•     CERAMIC MATRIX COMPOSITES (CMCs)

• FABRICATION & PROCESSING

• STRUCTURAL COMPOSITES

• NANOCOMPOSITES

Course Tutor: Philip Bralsford CEng MIMMM MWeldI MMet MBA

Philip is a highly accomplished Metallurgist & Materials Engineer (CEng MIMMM), Welding Technologist (MWeldI) and Quality Management expert, with decades of experience in the field. With a distinguished academic background, including a Diploma in Metallurgy (DipMet) and Master of Metallurgy in Advanced Metallurgy from the University of Sheffield, his career has been marked by significant contributions to leading engineering firms such as British Steel, Sheffield Forgemasters and Corus, where he has played a pivotal role in research, product development, quality control and the implementation of innovative solutions.

Philip's proficiency in materials engineering, metallurgy, welding and quality management, when coupled with his project management skills and leadership abilities, has earned him a reputation as a dedicated and results-driven professional. His commitment to excellence is further evidenced by his certifications and accreditations  from professional organisations including Chartered Engineer (CEng), The Institute of Materials professional Member (MIMMM) & The Welding Institute professional Member (MWeldI.)

Philip has also designed and implemented comprehensive training programs for engineers and technicians, focusing on metallurgical techniques, materials engineering, welding, corrosion and quality control procedures. He has also authored detailed training manuals and documentation, ensuring that team members have access to valuable resources and best practices for their work.

Philip provides training for a number of high-profile clients, including: Arcelor Mittal, The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), UKRI-Science & Technology Facilities Council, The Institute of Cast Metals Engineers (ICME), TAQA Bratani, Building Research Establishment (BRE), Moog Aircraft Group, J & D Pierce Contracts Ltd, Bourne Group Ltd, Mueller Europe, TEi Ltd, Ultra Maritime, William Cook Cast Products, WQiC, Voestalpine Bohler Welding & RWE Generation UK PLC.

Philip has received excellent feedback from the clients & candidates who have undertaken his training. For some of their comments see below:

'I`d like to say a big thank you for putting together a course that not only has excellent reference books to work from, but also enabled me to study when I had time. I`m sure the books will be put to good use in the future.'

'Our Engineers have found the course and its subject material very informative and helpful as two engineers relatively new to welding. They have also found the material very well presented and easy to follow.'

'It's been done in a way that's understandable for people who already have some knowledge and for those who don't, It's learnable and understandable.'

'I think there is very little or almost nothing to improve, as the course is very well designed, built and the Tutor is very experienced.'

'Thank you Philip for your time. I've enjoyed the course a lot and after meeting with you, I've learnt even more about the role of an RWC. Thank you again for your feedback on where we need to be and I will continue to make a great effort to learn more.'

‘I felt the course material was invaluable. I came away with a complete understanding simply because it was written by somebody who clearly understood their subject area. I look forward to studying again with Philip.’