3 credits
Fall 2025 Lecture Upper Division
Steel and aluminum alloy processing will be studied to provide fundamental understanding of how the final properties are influenced by processing from the extraction of metal from ore, through shaping by casting, hot-working and cold-working, and heat treatment for control of microstructure. This understanding will enable the student to go beyond comparisons of standard handbook values and recognize the fundamental metallurgical phenomena leading to differences in performance among the main alloy classifications. By examining the relationships among processing, microstructure, and properties, the course will provide the "know-how" for specifying, designing, and manufacturing with steels and aluminum alloys.
Learning Outcomes1Describe current practice of steel and aluminum production in terms of the thermochemical unit processes.
2Understand the differences between the main classes of commercial metal shaping processes and their intrinsic effects on microstructure.
3Relate alloy microstructure to properties as measured in standard mechanical testing.
4Interpret standards and specifications for processing and properties of different steel and aluminum alloy classifications.
5Identify processing defects and predict their effect on material performance.
6Specify alloy and processing route to achieve desired properties sets for particular applications.
7Explain properties variability in terms commercial practice constraints.
8Analyze critically the state of research on a particular current topic in steel or aluminum metallurgy.
Prerequisites
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.