About this Course

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We explore “10 things” that range from the menu of materials available to engineers in their profession to the many mechanical and electrical properties of materials important to their use in various engineering fields. We also discuss the principles behind the manufacturing of those materials.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
* Recognize the important aspects of the materials used in modern engineering applications,
* Explain the underlying principle of materials science: “structure leads to properties,”
* Identify the role of thermally activated processes in many of these important “things” – as illustrated by the Arrhenius relationship.
* Relate each of these topics to issues that have arisen (or potentially could arise) in your life and work.

If you would like to explore the topic in more depth you may purchase Dr. Shackelford's Textbook:
J.F. Shackelford, Introduction to Materials Science for Engineers, Eighth Edition, Pearson Prentice-Hall, Upper
Saddle River, NJ, 2015

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Approx. 9 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Materials
Mechanical Engineering
Engineering Design
Electrical Engineering

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Approx. 9 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.69/5 (1,137 Ratings)

James Shackelford

Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science

91,672 Learners

1 Course

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(9,002 ratings)

Week

1

Week 1

2 hours to complete

Course Overview / The Menu of Materials / Point Defects Explain Solid State Diffusion

Welcome to week 1! In lesson one, you will learn to recognize the six categories of engineering materials through examples from everyday life, and we’ll discuss how the structure of those materials leads to their properties. Lesson two explores how point defects explain solid state diffusion. We will illustrate crystallography – the atomic-scale arrangement of atoms that we can see with the electron microscope. We will also describe the Arrhenius Relationship, and apply it to the number of vacancies in a crystal. We’ll finish by discussing how point defects facilitate solid state diffusion, and applying the Arrhenius Relationship to solid state diffusion.

2 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 41 min)

10 videos

Course Introduction2m

Six Categories of Engineering Materials8m

Structure Leads to Properties5m

Summary2m

Crystallography and the Electron Microscope6m

Introduction to the Arrhenius Relationship5m

The Arrhenius Relationship Applied to the Number of Vacancies in a Crystal4m

Point Defects and Solid State Diffusion3m

The Arrhenius Relationship Applied to Solid State Diffusion2m

Summary36s

2 practice exercises

Thing 130m

Thing 230m

Week

2

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Dislocations Explain Plastic Deformation / Stress vs. Strain -The “Big Four” Mechanical Properties

Welcome to week 2! In lesson three we will discover how dislocations at the atomic-level structure of materials explain plastic (permanent) deformation. You will learn to define a linear defect and see how materials deform through dislocation motion. Lesson four compares stress versus strain, and introduces the “Big Four” mechanical properties of elasticity, yield strength, tensile strength, and ductility. You’ll assess what happens beyond the tensile strength of an object. And you’ll learn about a fifth important property – toughness.

2 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 34 min)

Week

3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Creep Deformation / The Ductile-to-Brittle Transition

Welcome to week 3! In lesson five we’ll explore creep deformation and learn to analyze a creep curve. We’ll apply the Arrhenius Relationship to creep deformation and identify the mechanisms of creep deformation. In lesson six we find that the phenomenon of ductile-to-brittle transition is related to a particular crystal structure (the body-centered cubic). We’ll also learn to plot the ductile-to-brittle transition for further analysis.

2 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 34 min)

Week

4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Fracture Toughness / Fatigue

Welcome to week 4! In lesson seven we will examine the concept of critical flaws. We’ll define fracture toughness and critical flaw size with the design plot. We’ll also distinguish how we break things in good and bad ways. Lesson eight explores the concept of fatigue in engineering materials. We’ll define fatigue and examine the fatigue curve and fatigue strength. We’ll also identify mechanisms of fatigue.

2 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 43 min)

Reviews

4.7

1037 reviews

5 stars
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4 stars
20.34%
3 stars
3.03%
2 stars
0.49%
1 star
0.26%

TOP REVIEWS FROM MATERIALS SCIENCE: 10 THINGS EVERY ENGINEER SHOULD KNOW

by JBJul 24, 2020

The professor is great and holds a lot of knowledge to what he is teaching. I also like the way he delivers the lesson and the thorough explanation of the subject matter partnered with graphs.

by APAug 18, 2021

I watched all of the professor's videos and it was truly informative. As a Chemical Engineering student, I learned a lot about the different properties and structures involved in various materials.

by MSApr 22, 2020

very useful course but it would be better if the information regarding the lectures is provided in pdf form after each lecture/topic.To conclude it is a great experience to complete this course.

by DKSep 23, 2020

This course is good for engineers. It illustrated many fundemental and important concept in materials science. The teacher is great who explain nearly everthings in details with words and experiments.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
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The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Materials Science: 10 Things Every Engineer Should Know