The aim of this module is to provide the student with an in-depth knowledge of engineering materials as it applies to medical devices. This module aims to familiarise the student with the fundamentals of corrosion, wear and fatigue as applied to the design and evaluation of medical devices. Further, the student will be familiarised with the process of critical evaluation of published bio-materials literature, failure prediction and selection of materials for design.
Materials Selection: Selection of materials for applications areas including: cardiovascular, dental, orthopaedic, drug delivery, sutures, dressings, artificial organs and maxillofacial.
Corrosion of Materials: Common types of corrosion and their mechanisms, wet & dry corrosion, electrochemical corrosion, stress corrosion and corrosion fatigue
Failure Mechanisms - Creep, Fatigue & Basic Fracture Mechanics: Solve basic Creep, Fatigue & Catastrophic Failure design problems, using creep curves, Larson-Miller parameter, power law, Miner's Rule, Goodman, Soderburg, & Gerber Methods.
Equilibrium & Non-Equilibrium Phase Diagrams: Lever rule. Eutectic & eutectoid systems. Solid solution strengthening: relationship between strength & phase diagram, non-equilibrium solidification, segregation.
Heat Treatment: Describe the effects, uses & applications of different heat treatments. Hardenability & ITT & CCT Diagrams. Solve precipitation hardening of non-ferrous alloys. Use hardenability to design & select alloys for industrial applications
Advanced Fabrication Techniques: Describe the operation and applications of advanced manufacturing techniques such as additive manufacturing (3D print & SLA). Also, Bioprinting & Electrospinning
