MSE 26000 Thermodynamics of Materials

Credits and Contact Hours: 3 credits. Weekly Schedule for 15 weeks: three 50 minute lectures.

Instructors or Course Coordinators: R.E. Garcia.

Textbook: “Thermodynamics in Materials Science.” R. T. DeHoff. McGrawHill, 2006.

Specific Course Information

  1. Catalog Description: Fundamental laws of thermodynamics and their applications to material systems; criteria for equilibrium; reaction and phase equilibria; properties of solutions; thermodynamic origins of phase diagrams.
  2. Prerequisites: MA 26100, Corequisites: MSE 23000, CHM 11600 (or CHM 13600)
  3. Course Status: MSE 26000 is a required course.

Specific Goals for the Course

1. All Students

A. Understand the concept of equilibrium, material properties, and equations of state. Examples:

  • Define extensive and intensive variables
  • Define equilibrium material properties for gases, solids and liquids
  • Stipulate requirements for a thermodynamic equation of state

B. Understand and apply the first and second law of thermodynamics to describe material properties, phase transformations, chemical reactions, and processing operations. Examples:

  • Construct equations of state to describe elastic and inelastic solids that comply with the laws of thermodynamics. For example, construct equations of state for elastic solids, dielectric materials, and magnetic systems.
  • Construct equations of state to describe the response of dielectric materials, in compliance with the laws of thermodynamics.

C. Apply the laws of thermodynamics for the construction of single and multicomponent phase diagrams. Incorporation of experimental data into analytical and numerical descriptions of phase diagrams. Examples:

  • Understand and apply the concept of regular solution for the description of spinodal decomposing solids.
  • Understand the concepts of chemical potential, activity, activity coefficient, and apply it to graphically build Gibbs free energy descriptions to perform simple calculations.
  • Construct temperature-composition diagrams for regular solutions
  • Construct and Identify thermodynamically consistent phase diagrams

D. Read and make sense of the scientific literature that addresses and/or uses thermodynamic concepts to describe, model, or engineer material properties and processes. Examples:

  • Develop an ability to read, collect, and report in technical report format reliable thermodynamic data to calculate the phase diagram of iron
  • Review the scientific literature of multiferroic materials and put it in the context of the Laws of Thermodynamics. Synthesize the acquired knowledge in technical paper format.

2. Most Students

A.  Develop expertise on the mathematics of thermodynamic systems. Examples:

  • Formulate differential expressions that comply with the laws of thermodynamics.
  • Develop an ability to apply Maxwell relations to establish mathematical expressions between the different thermodynamic quantities
  • Apply the concept homogeneous functions, Gibbs-Duhem relation, etc., to construct equations of state that are first-order homogeneous functions
  • Understand the reaches and limitations of the ideal gas equation of state and the Van der Waals equation of state as models to describe real gases.

B.  Ability to apply simple models describing the transformation of different forms of energy, and its application to technological systems. Examples:

  • Piezoelectric actuators, Elastic solids, Chemical Actuators, Superconductors

C.  Understand and apply the effects of surfaces and interfaces on the macroscopic properties of materials, phase transformations, and industrial processing operations. Examples:

  • Understand the effect of surface energy on the melting point, solubility limit, etc.
  • Understand and apply the effect of surface tension on the construction of single-component and binary phase diagrams.

D. Apply the laws of thermodynamics to make sense of the scientific literature, and use them to formulate consistent models. Examples:

  • Research the scientific literature to formulate theoretical and Mathematica-based models to describe the Ag-Cu phase diagram (reported in technical paper format).

Relation of Course to Student Outcomes:

(MSE-1, ABET-1) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex materials engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.

(MSE-7, ABET-7) an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Topics Covered: First, second and third law of thermodynamics, mathematics of thermodynamics, Legendre transformations and their application, construction of thermodynamic properties for multifunctional materials, single component phase diagrams, equilibrium of multicomponent systems, solution thermodynamics, graphical construction of phase diagrams, binary phase diagrams, thermodynamics of surfaces.