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Unit outline_

CIVL1110: Materials

Intensive January - February, 2023 [Normal day] - Remote

Materials are an important part of the civil engineers' work. Indeed, civil engineers who are concerned with the design, construction, and maintenance of facilities need to understand the behaviour and performance of the materials used. And as it happens, mechanical properties- which are essential and basic for civil engineers- are highly dependent on the structure of materials at various scales. Therefore, it is important that a student in Civil Engineering possesses a fundamental knowledge in materials science. This unit of study aims to provide students with the tools necessary to select the adequate material for a particular application and to assess its mechanical behaviour while in use. This unit will focus mainly on materials for civil engineering and construction applications, i.e. metals, concrete and soils.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Civil Engineering
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
AMME1362 or CIVL2110
Assumed knowledge
? 

CIVL1802 (or equivalent)

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Mohammad Saadatfar, mohammad.saadatfar@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Mohammad Saadatfar, mohammad.saadatfar@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Monitored test
? 
Quiz 1
Online quiz covering chapters 1-7
20% Week 03
Due date: 03 Feb 2023 at 12:00

Closing date: 03 Feb 2023
80 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO5 LO4 LO3
Presentation group assignment Group Presentation
Recorded presentations by small groups on selected topics.
10% Week 05
Due date: 17 Feb 2023 at 23:59
10 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO3
Monitored test
? 
Quiz 2
Online quiz covering chapters 8-10
20% Week 06
Due date: 24 Feb 2023 at 12:00

Closing date: 24 Feb 2023
1 hour
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO5 LO4
Assignment Take-home exam
End of the semester take-home exam
10% Week 07
Due date: 24 Feb 2023 at 17:00

Closing date: 03 Mar 2023
One week
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3
Monitored exam
? 
hurdle task
Final Exam
MCQs, calculations & extended response questions
40% Week 10
Due date: 16 Mar 2023 at 14:15

Closing date: 16 Mar 2023
1.5 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

  • Quizzes: Two quizzes (quiz #1: 80 minutes & quiz #2: 60 minutes) will be held during the semester and the quiz will remain open for four hours. 
  • Take-home exam: The individual assignment is composed of different problems to test the basic understanding of new concepts and the application of these concepts in engineering related problems. As part of the take-home exam, students will need to provide a short report on a topic related to the course.
  • Final exam: The exam tests students’ understanding of the relations between structure and mechanical properties. To pass this unit of study, students are required to obtain at least 40% on their final exam.
  • Oral presentation:  The presentation will be 10 min in length on the topic selected for the students. Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1). As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

 

High Distinction

85% – 100%

The student shows a clear understanding of all the concepts taught in class and is able to use them to select materials for different applications. The lab report is at the level of professional documents and includes complex critical comments with extended justification. The student’s mark at the final exam is at least 45%.

Distinction

75% - 84%

The student shows a clear understanding of all the concepts taught in class and is able to use them to select materials for some applications. The lab report is well written and includes coherent critical comments with substantial justification. The student’s mark at the final exam is at least 45%.

Credit

65% - 74%

The student shows a clear understanding of most of the concepts taught in class and is able to use them to limited extent to material selection. The lab report is complete, well presented and applies some of the concepts seen in class to the laboratory experiments. The student’s mark at the final exam is at least 45%.

Pass

50% - 64%

The student understands most of the concepts taught in class and can use them in simple problems. The student fails to see the connection between material structures and properties and is unable to determine material selection criteria. The student is however able to select a material once the selection criteria have been established independently. The lab report addresses the major aspects of the laboratory but contains some style and expression errors. The student’s mark at the final exam is at least 45%.

Fail

The student does not meet the passing criteria.

 

To pass this unit of study, students are required to obtain at least 45% at their final exam. Any student with a mark below 45% at the final exam will automatically fail the course and their mark for this UoS will be 45/100.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week -04 Fracture mechanics Tutorial (3 hr) LO3 LO4
Week -05 Fracture mechanics Fatigue Creep Tutorial (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 01 Atomic structure Crystallography Tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4
Week 02 Solidification Diffusion Tutorial (3 hr) LO2 LO4
Week 03 Mechanical properties Tutorial (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 06 Fatigue Creep Phase diagram Tutorial (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

Yes but not mandatory.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

  • Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering by William Smith, Javad Hashemi, Materials (CIVL5501 & CIVL2210) prepared by G. Proust (Special edition for UoS CIVL5501 and CIVL2210)

 

Reference Books

- Engineering Materials 1 –An Introduction to Properties, Applications & Design, 3rd ed MF Ashby & DRH Jones

- Engineering Materials 2 –An Introduction to Microstructures, Processing & Design 3rd ed MF Ashby & DRH Jones

- Introduction to Materials Science for Engineers, Second Edition, by JF Shackelford

- Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering, 5ed, by Smith & Hashemi, Mc Graw-Hill, 2010

- Civil Engineering Materials, Fifth edition. by N. Jackson and RK Dihr

- Construction Materials – Their nature and behaviour, 3rd ed, by JM Ullstone and PLJ Domone

- Concrete: Microstructure, Properties and Materials, 3rd ed, by P. Kumar Mehta and Paulo J.M. Monteiro, 2006

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Design a presentation using powerpoint and write a lab report
  • LO2. Select the correct material for an application and appreciate the repercussions of an incorrect selection
  • LO3. Comprehend the relations between the structure of materials and their mechanical properties
  • LO4. Apply basic materials concepts relative to materials structures
  • LO5. Describe and utilise mechanical concepts such as stress, strain, elasticity, plasticity, fracture, fatigue and creep that will be used in other units of study in Civil Engineering.
  • LO6. Become familiar with microscopy methods associated with materials engineering.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered

Disclaimer

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