Introduction to materials
Definition of material. The importance of materials in history. Classification of materials: metallic, ceramic and polymeric. Composite materials. The properties of materials: mechanical, physical and chemical. Relationship between composition, structure and properties. Atomic structure, microstructure and macrostructure. History of atomic theories. Atomic Structure. Subatomic particles. Definitions of atomic number, atomic weight and mole. Mentions on the periodic table of the elements. Bohr atom. Mentions on quantum mechanics.
Quantum and orbital numbers. Pauli exclusion principle. Electronic configuration. Valence electrons. Electronegativity. Octet rule.
Classification of chemical bonds: primary and secondary. Bond energies. Ionic bond: definition and examples. Simple and multiple covalent bonds, polar and apolar. Atomic and molecular orbitals. Dipoles. Dative covalent bond. Metallic bond. Free electrons. Secondary bonds: permanent and instantaneous dipoles. Hydrogen bridge bond.
States of matter. Solid structure. Ideal solids. Crystalline and amorphous solids. Concepts of order and anisotropy. Lattices and elementary cells. Lattice and molecular solids. Covalent solids. Sp3 hybridization of carbon. Structure and properties of the diamond. Carbon polymorphism. Hybridization sp2. Structure and properties of graphite. Ionic solids. Coordination number. Characteristics of ionic solids. Metallic solids. Rigid spheres model. Packaging factor. EC, CFC, CCC elementary cells. Solid metal characteristics. Real solids. Defects in solids. Defect classification. Point defects of a physical and chemical nature. Role of point defects on the characteristics of some materials. Line defects: corner and screw dislocation. Surface defects: grain borders. Mechanism of solidification of a metal. Nucleation and growth. Fine or coarse-grained crystals.
Mechanical behavior of materials. Elastic and plastic elementary behaviors and their interpretation on an atomic scale. Ductile and fragile behavior. Mechanical behavior in the presence of defects. Griffith experience. Sliding mechanism of dislocation in a lattice. Role of dislocations and grain boundaries on the ductility of metals. Hardening.
Classification of mechanical tests. Mentions on UNI and UNI EN standards. Tensile test. Stress-strain curve. Elasticity module. Hooke's law. Yield stress. Conventional yield strength. Breaking load. Percentage elongation at break. Ductility. Toughness. Characteristic stress-strain curves. Mentions on viscous behavior. Creep and relaxation. Hardness and hardness tests. Mohs scale, durometers, sclerometers. Hardness-resistance correlation. Resilience. Charpy pendulum. Ductile-brittle transition interval. Notes on fatigue failure. Fatigue limit.
Building materials
Metallic materials
Ferrous and non-ferrous metallic materials. Mentions on iron. The role of carbon in the strength of steels. Definition of steel and cast iron. Replacement and interstitial solid solutions. Intermetallic compounds. Polymorphism of iron and solubility of C in Fe. Solid interstitial solutions: Ferrite and Austenite. Regular and irregular octahedral gaps.
Steel cooling: equilibrium and non-equilibrium microstructures. Displacement transformation from Fe-γ to Fe-α. Intermetallic compounds: Cementite. Structural constituents: Lamellar perlite. Martensite: formation mechanism and mechanical properties. Notes on the ferro-cementite state diagram. Notes on the production of steel by primary steel industry. Blast furnace: description and operation. Cast iron and blast furnace slag. Refining of cast iron.
Steel strengthening treatments. Mechanical treatments: obstacles to the movement of dislocations. Heat treatments: annealing, normalization, hardening. Temperature A3. Hardening media. Tempering. Sorbitol. Surface hardening. Thermochemical treatments: cementation and nitriding. Classification (UNI EN 10020) and Designation (UNI EN 10027) of steels.
Steel classification: quality requirements, chemical composition and applications. Carbon steels and alloy and non-alloy steels. General purpose construction steels. Steel designation: symbolic and numerical designation. Examples of abbreviations of designation. Technical standards for construction. Notes on reinforced concrete. Characteristics of steels for reinforced concrete. Weldability of steels. Pre-stressing technique and its main applications. Characteristics of pre-stressed concrete steels. Strands.
Notes on corrosion: reaction mechanisms, factors that influence it, main forms of corrosion and protection methods. Stainless steels: composition and microstructures. Characteristics and applications of stainless steels. Introduction to cast iron: classification, strengths and weaknesses. Characteristics and main fields of application of non-ferrous metal materials. Aluminum and light alloys. Anodized aluminum. Copper and its alloys. The patinas of copper. Uses of copper in construction.
Mentions on Titanium: characteristics and main fields of application. Shape memory alloys. Titaniocromia.
Binder materials
Introduction to binding materials. Aerial and hydraulic binders. Hydration, setting and hardening, seasoning. Pastes, mortars and concretes. Binder production scheme.
Plaster production: raw materials and transformations during cooking. Gypsum hydration: setting and hardening mechanisms. Characteristics of gypsum and its main fields of application. Aerial lime production: firing of raw materials, quenching of quicklime. Hydrated lime powder.
Slaked lime: production and seasoning. Surrendered. Fat and lean kicks. Factors that influence the yield in putty. Role of sand in lime mortars. Setting and hardening of an aerial lime mortar. Bedding mortars and plaster mortars.
Portland cement production cycle. Raw material. Rotary kilns scheme. Transformations during the firing of limestone and clay. Clinker composition: aluminates and calcium silicates. Fineness of a cement: particle size distribution and specific surface area.
Hydration of calcium aluminates. Mechanism for setting the cement. Plaster as a setting regulator. Primary ethringitis. Optimization of the gypsum / clinker ratio. Hydration of calcium silicates. Characteristics of the cement gel. Mechanism of hardening of cement. Portlandite. Development of mechanical strength. Heat of hydration of Portland cement. Problems inherent to large structures. Porosity of the hydrated cement paste. Porosity of the cement gel. Capillary porosity. Macroporosity.
Relationship between capillary porosity, degree of hydration and water / cement ratio. Powers formula: relationship between capillary porosity and compressive strength. Mixing cements. Types of mineral additions: pozzolanic and blast furnace. Pozzolanic activity. Description of the main materials with pozzolanic activity: pozzolan, zeolite tuffs, coal ash and silica smoke. Characteristics and applications of pozzolanic cements.
Composition of the blast furnace slag. Latent hydraulic properties. Activation of the loppa. Characteristics and applications of blast furnace cements. Natural, industrial and pozzolanic hydraulic lime: production, characteristics and applications. Standard on cements UNI EN 197-1. Types of cements and strength classes.
Other concrete components: water, aggregates and additives. Characteristics of mixing water for concrete. Aggregates: origin and functions. Characteristics of the aggregates: size, shape, porosity and density. Additives for concrete: fluidifying, accelerating, retarding, air-entraining agents. Special concrete. High performance concrete (HPC).
Lightweight concrete (LWC). Self-compacting concrete (SCC). Test of Abrams' cone. Workability classes. Durability and degradation mechanisms of concrete. Flushing waters. Freeze / thaw cycles. Sulphatic attack. Reinforcement corrosion due to carbonation and chlorides. Alkali-aggregate reaction.
Traditional ceramic materials
Introduction to traditional ceramic materials. Definition and Classification. Production cycle of ceramics. Raw materials: clays, thinners, fluxes, complementary materials. The structure of the clays: tetrahedral and octahedral sheets. Rheology of water-clay systems. Coatings: showcases and glazes. Forming techniques: pressing, extrusion and casting. Drying and firing: porous and compact paste ceramics. Bricks and tiles.
Glasses:
Introduction to glass and historical notes. Glass features and applications. Amorphous and crystalline solids. Kinetic theory of vitrification. Production cycle of glass products. Structure of the glass. Glass lattice formers and modifiers. Stabilizing and bleaching glass lattice modifiers. Intermediate oxides. Forming techniques. Pressing and blowing. Float glass. Annealing. Composition and characteristics of some commercial glasses. Special glass: silica glass, lead glass and safety glass. Thermal hardening and chemical hardening. Chemical stability of glasses.
Polymers:
Introduction to Polymers. The bonds in polymers. The structure of polymers. The molecules of hydrocarbons. Homopolymers and copolymers. Average molecular weight. Degree of polymerization. Molecular structures. Polymer classification. Thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers, elastomers. The glass transition temperature. The degree of crystallinity. Polymerization Mechanisms: chain polymerization and step polymerization. Vinyl Polymers: some examples. Stereoisomerism. Polycondensation and polyaddition. Polymerization techniques. Processing technologies: molding, extrusion, blowing and thermoforming. Mechanical behavior of polymers. Behavior in temperature. Viscoelastic deformation. Relaxation module. Viscoelastic creep. Fracture and fatigue in polymeric materials.
Mentions on innovative binders (geopolymers):
Introduction to geopolymers. Definition and historical background. Classification. Chemical composition and structure of geopolymers. Geopolymerization reaction: process chemistry and parameters that influence it. Comparison of Portland cement geopolymers. Production process, properties and main applications. Geopolymers in the cultural heritage sector.
Mentions on composite materials:
Introduction to composite materials. Natural and artificial composite materials. Constituents of composite materials: matrix, reinforcement and interface. Classification of composite according to the reinforcement and matrix. Examples of composites with sheets and laminates. Role of reinforcement. Critical length of the fibers. Main polymeric matrices: epoxy and polyester. Composites with ceramic and metal matrix. Main types of fiber used as reinforcement. Glass fibers: chemical composition, characteristics and applications. Aramid fibers: Nomex and Kevlar. Carbon fiber.
