2021 Faculty Courses School of Materials and Chemical Technology Department of Materials Science and Engineering Graduate major in Materials Science and Engineering

Deformation and Strength of Solids

Academic unit or major: Graduate major in Materials Science and Engineering
Instructor(s): Susumu Onaka / Yoshihiro Terada
Class Format: Lecture
Media-enhanced courses: -
Day of week/Period (Classrooms): 1-2 Mon / 1-2 Thu
Class: -
Course Code: MAT.M410
Number of credits: 200
Course offered: 2021
Offered quarter: 2Q
Syllabus updated: Jul 10, 2025
Language: English

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

To accomplish material selection and to develop advanced materials, we must know methods to evaluate deformation and strength of materials quantitatively. The elasticity and the theory of dislocations are respectively academic frameworks to understand elastic and plastic deformation behaviors of crystalline materials.
The first half of this course teaches the elasticity and the theory of dislocations. In the second half of this course, explaining the plastic deformation of crystalline materials and the external force to cause the plastic deformation, we consider mechanical properties of practical materials under various conditions and methods to increase strength of materials. Exercise problems are assigned during both of the first and second halves of the course.

Course description and aims

By completing this course, students will be able to:
1) Understand methods to evaluate deformation and strength of materials quantitatively, various modes of plastic deformation and fracture, characteristic values representing mechanical properties of materials and necessary conditions of desirable structural materials.
2) Understand the elasticity as fundamental techniques to evaluate deformation and strength of solid materials and the theory of dislocations to discuss mechanisms of plastic deformation of materials.

Keywords

elasticity, theory of dislocations, crystal defects, mechanics of dislocations, mechanical properties, strengthening mechanisms, creep, high-temperature deformation, fracture, cyclic deformation, fatigue.

Competencies

Specialist skills
Intercultural skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking skills
Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

Exercise problems are assigned during the course. To prepare for class, students should read the course schedule section and check what topics will be covered. Required learning should be completed outside of the classroom for preparation and review purposes.

Course schedule/Objectives

	Course schedule	Objectives
Class 1	Fundamentals of the theory of elasticity	The concept of stress and strain as tensors
Class 2	Definition of stress and strain	Distortion and strain, and traction and stress
Class 3	Exercise problems to understand the theory of elasticity	Coordinate transformation of components of stresses, Hooke's law
Class 4	Dislocations and the Burgers vector	Edge, screw and mix dislocations, definition of the Burgers vector
Class 5	Geometry of dislocations	Plastic deformation due to dislocation movement
Class 6	Mechanics of dislocations	Stresses generated by dislocations, forces on dislocations
Class 7	Exercise problems to understand the theory of dislocations	Summary of the theory of dislocations
Class 8	Ideal strength of perfect crystals and stress-strain relations of solids	Evaluation of ideal strength and understanding of stress-strain relations
Class 9	Plastic deformation of single crystals and work hardening	Motion of dislocations and plastic deformation of crystals
Class 10	Plastic deformation of polycrystals and effects of grain boundaries on strength	Relationship between motion of dislocations and grain boundaries
Class 11	Strengthening mechanisms of materials	Solid-solution strengthening, precipitate strengthening, dispersion strengthening, work hardening, strengthening by grain refinement
Class 12	Creep and high-temperature deformation	Characteristics of plastic deformation at high temperatures
Class 13	Fracture and the classification of modes of fracture	Ductile fracture, brittle fracture, relationship between strength ductility
Class 14	Cyclic deformation and fatigue	Changes of microstructures caused by cyclic deformation, origin of fatigue

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

None required.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

M. Kato, S. Kumai and S. Onaka: Zairyo Kyoudo Gaku, Asakura

Evaluation methods and criteria

Students' knowledge on the elasticity, slip deformation and the theory of dislocations, various mechanical properties of metallic materials, and their ability to apply them to problems will be assessed. Exams 70%, exercise problems 30%.