Degree programmes

Corrosion and Wear Protection

The lecture starts with corrosion systems (structure of systems and interactions, corrosion medium and corrosive load, corroding material and conditions of contact, origin of corrosion damage), explanation of the corrosion process as well as depiction of corrosion conditions and products. It proceeds with presentations on the behaviour of selected materials under corrosion and the evaluation of corrosion behaviour (failure analyses due to corrosion). Finally a survey is given on possibilities of corrosion protection (corrosion protection by directly influencing the corroding system, by coating, and temporary corrosion protection).
The lecture continues with the fundamental structure of wear systems, the basics of wear (formation of wear damages). This includes the presentation of parameters of tribosystems (for example: ratios of motion, micro-geometry and contact conditions, friction ratios and friction elements) and the discussion of fundamental wear mechanisms (adhesive, abrasive, and fatigue wear, additional mechanisms such as tribocorrosion) as well as the presentation of well known theories on wear. The lecture proceeds with the evaluation of wear behaviour (wear testing, tribological chain, reliability), wear diagnostics and wear failure analysis.
Finally, methods to select appropriated corrosion and wear protection are discussed.

Composite Materials

Composite materials, their development, use, and importance as a “tailor-made material” for every-day-use (automobile, spare time etc.) as well as for special extreme load (aerospace, power electronics etc.) are presented. Students will get a survey on production, properties and use of fibres and particles as reinforcement components for composites. Scientific fundamentals of particle and fibre reinforcement are explained. The lecture continues with properties and potential in use of polymer matrix composites, ceramic matrix composites and metal matrix composites and their production. Problems of interfaces (especially between fibre and matrix) are discussed in detail. Additionally, an insight in special experimental techniques and methods for fibres and composite materials is given. The lecture is completed by the following seminars:

Production and investigation of polymer composites
Characterization of composites
Micro-bend testing and gray value analysis of PMCs
Natural fibre reinforced composites
Calculation of composites
Joining of composites

Ceramic and Metallic Lightweight Materials

Within the lecture the following materials (under consideration of the established nomenclature of designation) are treated with respect to their production, properties as well as application:

Ceramic materials, especially materials of technical ceramics
Elemental ceramics (for instance: carbon)
Silicate ceramics (for instance: china, mullite, stearite, cordierite)
Oxide ceramics (for instance: silicon carbide, silicon nitride, aluminum nitride)
Light metals
Beryllium
Magnesium and its alloys
Aluminum and its alloys
Titanium and its alloys
High strengh steels
Intermetallic phases (titanium aluminides)

Additionally, relevant construction guide lines for lightweight materials are presented if there are differences to those of steels.

Brazing of Metallic and Ceramic Materials

The lecture gives an insight into the current state of the art of soldering and brazing technologies. After a presentation of metal scientific and physical fundamentals of brazing the elimination of surface layers (especially oxide layers) is treated to prevent wetting of the materials surface by the filler material. It is continued with a presentation of the most important filler materials and brazing and soldering technologies. The section “Brazing/soldering of non-metallic materials” shows processes of brazing/soldering of ceramics, glasses and graphite to metal or among each other. Other sections contain construction guide lines appropriated for brazing/soldering and the examination of joints, filler materials and fluxing agents.

Damage Analysis

After statements on the technical, economical, ecological, and legal consequences of defects and damages in materials (in a component, in an installation) the complex classification of failure analyses is treated. Therefore taking results, evaluation of the failure appearance, failure mechanisms, and reasons of failure play an important role. Possibilities to prevent failures in future are reasoned. The cooperation of construction/calculation – material – processing – assembly – usage are emphasized. Practical failures are studied during seminars.

Coating – Surface Technology

Starting from damages of materials caused by wear and corrosion the basics of wear and corrosion are treated. Possibilities of wear and corrosion protection are deduced. One of the very important possibilities is coating. The most important coatings, their properties, production technologies and coating processes are described. Since coatings also affect numerous other properties (electrical and thermal conductivity, physiological compatibility, colour, shininess and others) the lecture includes these problems and practical applications are discussed. Finally, environmental relations of coating processes and questions of selection methods of coatings are treated.

Heat Treatment

After a fundamental description of processes different heat treatment processes of metallic materials are treated. The main focus lies on technological process parameters as well as on related metal scientifical processes. From this material specific properties of each heat treated condition and the usage of processes are deduced. Statements on systems engineering and quality control are also integrated in the lecture.
The lecture has the following main topics:

Thermal processes of heat treatment of steels, cast iron materials and non-ferrous metals
Annealing, martensitic hardening, tempering, hardening and tempering, austempering, age-hardening and others
Thermochemical processes ferrous and non-ferrous metals
Nitriding, nitrocarburizing, boronizing and others
Thermomechanical processes of heat treatment

Materials Structure Analysis

Microstructure analysis is the basis in the evaluation of a materials condition in the microscopical scale and its impact by process design during materials production and treatment and during usage. Based on numerous examples the relation chain: process design – microstructure – spectrum of properties, the importance and the potential of the microstructure analysis for the materials technology is shown. Thereby relations to other modules in the subject of materials technology such as materials processing, heat treatment, coating, brazing/soldering and welding as well as failure analysis are build. Furthermore the lecture contains the topics of the related preparation technique and investigation methods such as the methodology of microstructure characterization. Laboratory tutorials concerning preparation of microsections, light and electron microscopy are helpful for the understanding of the lectures and the students to work within the laboratories during study and diploma.

Materials Processing Technology

On the basis of the modulus “Fundamentals of Materials Technology” basic application-oriented knowledge with respect to production, processing properties and properties in use on the following materials is presented under consideration of the established nomenclature of designation:

Metals (steels and cast iron, nickel and cobalt based superalloys, magnesium alloys, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys and copper alloys, refractory metals)
Intermetallic phases (aluminides)
Ceramic materials (silicate ceramics, oxide ceramics, non-oxide ceramics)
Composite materials (PMC,MMC, CMC)
Plastics (thermoplastics, elastomers, duromers)

According to their typical fields of application possibilities of alloying as well as microstructure engineering with the focal point on the heat treatment for optimization of the properties in use are presented for the materials. An overview of possibilities of upgrading by coating is given.

Special Subjects of Materials Technology

The lecture gives a survey on selected fields of materials technology which are not a subject in other lectures. Specialists of other faculties, universities, and from industry are involved in this lecture resulting in a very up to date presentation of all subjects. Students are informed on the following topics: minerals (ores, salt, stones); current trends in casting technology; production of metallic foams; modification of carbon; special powder metallurgical processes; materials to be used for power plant components; sensors and microsystems; production, processing and properties of paper; winning and processing of wooden materials, clay and natural fibres as well as their application; application of nanotechnology in automobile industry; current materials for implants.

Material Science for Chemists

The aim of the lecture is to impart to students an “engineer-view” on material science, especially on metallic materials. After an introduction on technical and economical problems of materials application mechanical, magnetic, and thermal properties of selected materials in combination with processing properties are described. One focal point is the detailed presentation of the iron-carbon phase diagram in combination with information on structure, microstructure, and defects of metallic materials. Material behaviour during static and dynamic load is treated both with theoretical and practical view. Finally, heat treatment processes are presented which influence structure, microstructure, residual stresses, and other properties. Practical courses with the following topics complete the lecture: