Mechanics/Materials Certificate

Program Overview

This Master's program in Mechanical Engineering offers a comprehensive curriculum in materials and mechanics. Students will gain expertise in nano/microscale materials behavior, polymer engineering, additive manufacturing, and biomechanics. The program also covers advanced topics in continuum mechanics, finite element analysis, and fracture mechanics, preparing graduates for careers in research, design, and manufacturing.

Program Outline

Outline:

• Materials Courses:
• ME 7250 - Nano/Microscale Mater Behavior
• Atomic arrangements in crystalline solids, imperfections in crystalline solids, the relationship between nano-/micro-structure and materials properties, the synthesis and behavior of nanomaterials, and the characterization at the nano-/micro-scales; demonstration labs on materials behavior at the nano-/micro-scale using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, bubble raft, and nanoindenter.
• ME 7260 - Mechanic Behavior of Materials
• Mechanisms of linear and nonlinear elasticity, plasticity, viscoelastic-plasticity, creep, fatigue and fracture of materials.
Atomistic and molecular fundamentals of mechanical behavior of crystalline and amorphous metallic materials, ceramics, and polymeric materials.
• ME 7270 - Polymer Engineering
• Advanced polymer processing-structure-property relationship.
Polymer chain structures, polymer crystaline structures, glass transition, viscoelasticity, mechanical properties, electrical properties, polymer extrusion, and polymer injection as well as polymer composite processing.
• ME 7280 - Additive Manufacturing
• Additive manufacturing processes and workflow.
Relevant standards. Bioprinting. Design for additive manufacturing. Software tools. Materials issues. Practical fused filament fabrication techniques. Stress and strain calculations.
• ME 7501 - Reinforced Comp Materials
• Particulate, filamentary, short-fiber, and laminated composites; elastic, and thermal structure/property relationships; stress analysis and design of material systems; static and fatigue failure; destructive and NDE test techniques.
• ME 7502 - Fiber Composite Structures
• Orthotropic stress-strain relations, hygrothermal effects, laminate analysis, manufacturing residual stresses, stress analysis, finite element analysis, composite structure failure, designing, joining, and repair.
• ME 7550 - Biomechanics of Hard Tissues
• Mechanical properties and structure-property relationships of bone; analytical and computational models of mechanical behavior of bone including fracture mechanics, damage, and failure theories; composite models of bone; applications of bone mechanics.
• ME 7560 - Biomechanics of Soft Tissues
• Mechanical properties and structure/function relationships of biological soft tissues, including: connective tissues, muscle brain tissue, vasculature, and the heart.
Numerical and computational modeling of mechanics of these tissues under physiological and non-physiological loading conditions. Analysis of novel engineered tissues.
• ME 8010 - Special Topics in ME
• Advanced and current topics in Mechanical Engineering.
• Mechanics Courses:
• ME 7002 - Continuum Mechanics
• Tensor algebra and calculus; Lagrangian and Eulerian Kinematics of Deformation; Cauchy and Piola-Kirchhoff stresses; general principles including conservation of mass, conservation of linear and angular momentum and energy; constitutive theory, ideal fluids, Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, finite elasticity, and linear elasticity.
• ME 7040 - Intro to Fin Element Analysis
• Introduction to the finite element method with a focus on stress analysis.
Boundary value problems; weighted residuals; variational methods; finite element formulation and solution; hands-on experience using programs for solution of problems.
• ME 7070 - Aero Vehicle Struc Analy & Des
• Aerospace vehicle configurations, free body diagrams and load paths, metal and composite materials, closed form analysis methods for statically indeterminant (redundant) structures, compression structures analysis methods, shear panel analysis methods, joints and fittings, design for fatigue and damage tolerance.
• ME 8145 - Thermoelasticity
• ME 8200 - Elasticity & Stress Analysis
• Stress analysis fundamentals and solution methods.
Strain, stress, elastic constitutive relations, equilibrium, compatibility, boundary value problems, uniqueness, two-dimensional and axisymmetric problems, flexure, torsion; energy methods, applications to structures, pressure vessels, rotating machinery.