| Unit name | Composite Materials for Sustainability |
|---|---|
| Unit code | AENGM0092 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Chandarana |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Civil, Aerospace and Design Engineering |
| Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
Why is this unit important?
This unit will provide students with specialist knowledge on advanced polymer composites, including bio-based and sustainable materials, as well as life cycle assessment (LCA) and current research challenges in this area. This unit enables students to develop a critical mindset when approaching material selection for composites and considers all aspects of the life cycle from the extraction and processing of raw materials, manufacturing processes, use phase, and end-of-life challenges.
The unit begins with ‘Introduction to composites’, which is a shared taught element with the unit ‘Composites Design, Manufacture, and Product Development’ to provide basic knowledge of composite materials and processing as well as composites structural analysis.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
The knowledge and skills pertaining to materials selection, sustainability, and life cycle assessment is essential in the design and manufacture of lightweight and sustainable high-performance fibre-reinforced composite materials. The unit provides the building blocks for further study and development of knowledge in the application for fibre-reinforced polymer materials in a wide range of industrial applications.
Overview of content
This unit will provide students with a fundamental understanding of composite materials, focusing on the choice of constituents, manufacture of laminates, and assessment of sustainability. An understanding of the microstructure and the effect of processing on fibre/matrix interface and structure-property relationships will be developed. The unit will enable students to develop a sustainability mindset, making use of life cycle assessment and circular economy concepts and frameworks when performing critical analysis of different materials and systems.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
After completing this unit, students will have gained specialist knowledge on advanced polymer composites and be able to assess them in terms of their sustainability and environmental impact.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of asynchronous content and synchronous sessions, which will include lectures, and interactive journal club sessions, supported by self-directed exercises.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Online test to assess understanding of the fundamentals of composites (ILO 1)
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
[75%] – individual coursework; directed questions case study (ILO 1-6)
[25%] – flipped classroom group assignment, e.g. structured debate or podcast, where the group mark will be evenly distributed among the group members (ILO 5-7)
When assessment does not go to plan
In the event of a pass mark not being obtained, students will be required to resubmit their directed questions case study based on feedback from the assessors. In place of the group assignment, students will be required to have a one-to-one discussion on a paper with an assessor to ensure fulfilment of ILO 7.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. AENGM0092).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
