Outline

Overview

Materials are an important part of the civil engineers' work. Indeed, civil engineers who are concerned with the design, construction, and maintenance of facilities need to understand the behaviour and performance of the materials used. And as it happens, mechanical properties- which are essential and basic for civil engineers- are highly dependent on the structure of materials at various scales. Therefore, it is important that a student in Civil Engineering possesses a fundamental knowledge in materials science. This unit of study aims to provide students with the tools necessary to select the adequate material for a particular application and to assess its mechanical behaviour while in use. This unit will focus mainly on materials for civil engineering and construction applications, i.e. metals, concrete and soils.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	CIVL1110
Academic unit	Civil Engineering
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	AMME1362 or CIVL2110
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	CIVL1802 (or equivalent)
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Mohammad Saadatfar, mohammad.saadatfar@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Submitted Essay A research essay on a topic that will be assigned to you	5%	Week -01 Due date: 16 Feb 2024 at 23:59	Two pages
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Recorded Presentation Video recording of a group presentation, delivered in pairs.	10%	Week -02 Due date: 09 Feb 2024 at 23:59	10 minutes per group
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Quiz 1 MCQ, calculations and extended response questions	25%	Week -03 Due date: 29 Jan 2024 at 14:00	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Early Assessment quiz Early assessment and feedback aimed at boosting student engagement	0%	Week -05 Due date: 19 Jan 2024 at 17:00	20 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Quiz 2 The assessment will be in the form of MCQ, calculations, and short answers.	25%	Week 01 Due date: 26 Feb 2024 at 14:00	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
Oral test ?	Oral examination questions about concepts, reasoning, critical thinking	35%	Week 06 Due date: 29 Feb 2024 at 10:00	15 minutes (oral)
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the Canvas site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

During the semester, the students will need to

Quiz: the students will need to complete 2 online quizzes of 1 hour each. One on week 5 and the other one on week 8.
Oral examination: each student will have a 15 min zoom oral examination during week 11. The scheduled will be distributed to the students two weeks prior to the examination.
Final exam: The exam tests students’ understanding of the relations between structure and mechanical properties. To pass this unit of study, students are required to obtain at least 45% at their final exam.
Oral presentation: The students will be required to give a grop presentation that will be recorded and then uploaded on CANVAS. The presentation will be 10 min in length and will coved the content of their laboratory session.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1). As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction of a very high standard, a credit of a good standard, and a pass of an acceptable standard.

High Distinction 85% – 100%	The student shows a clear understanding of all the concepts taught in class and is able to use them to select materials for different applications. The lab report is at the level of professional documents and includes complex critical comments with extended justification.
Distinction 75% - 84%	The student shows a clear understanding of all the concepts taught in class and is able to use them to select materials for some applications. The lab report is well written and includes coherent critical comments with substantial justification.
Credit 65% - 74%	The student shows a clear understanding of most of the concepts taught in class and is able to use them to limited extent to material selection. The lab report is complete, well presented and applies some of the concepts seen in class to the laboratory experiments.
Pass 50% - 64%	The student understands most of the concepts taught in class and can use them in simple problems. The student fails to see the connection between material structures and properties and is unable to determine material selection criteria. The student is however able to select a material once the selection criteria have been established independently. The lab report addresses the major aspects of the laboratory but contains some style and expression errors.
Fail	The student does not meet the passing criteria.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week -01	Fatigue and creep & Phase diagram	Lecture and tutorial (8 hr)
Week -01	Laboratory - demonstration	Science laboratory (1 hr)
Week -02	Dislocations & Strengthening Mechanisms & Fracture Mechanics	Lecture and tutorial (8 hr)
Week -03	Mechanical Properties & Diffusion	Lecture and tutorial (8 hr)
Week -04	The structure of crystalline solids & Solidification and Imperfections	Lecture and tutorial (8 hr)
Week -05	Introduction & Atomic Structure	Lecture and tutorial (8 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

It is recommended to attend the lectures and tutorials and to participate in class to support the learning experience.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Materials Science and Engineering - An introduction - First Australian and New Zealand Edition, Callister and Rethwisch, Wiley

Reference Books

- Engineering Materials 1 –An Introduction to Properties, Applications & Design, 3rd ed MF Ashby & DRH Jones

- Engineering Materials 2 –An Introduction to Microstructures, Processing & Design 3rd ed MF Ashby & DRH Jones

- Introduction to Materials Science for Engineers, Second Edition, by JF Shackelford

- Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering, 5ed, by Smith & Hashemi, Mc Graw-Hill, 2010

- Civil Engineering Materials, Fifth edition. by N. Jackson and RK Dihr

- Construction Materials – Their nature and behaviour, 3rd ed, by JM Ullstone and PLJ Domone

- Concrete: Microstructure, Properties and Materials, 3rd ed, by P. Kumar Mehta and Paulo J.M. Monteiro, 2006

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Design a presentation using powerpoint
LO2. Select the correct material for an application and appreciate the repercussions of an incorrect selection
LO3. Comprehend the relations between the structure of materials and their mechanical properties
LO4. Apply basic materials concepts relative to materials structures
LO5. Describe and utilise mechanical concepts such as stress, strain, elasticity, plasticity, fracture, fatigue and creep that will be used in other units of study in Civil Engineering.
LO6. Become familiar with microscopy methods associated with materials engineering.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The number of assessments has been adjusted for better distribution over the semester.

Additional information

N/A

Additional costs

N/A

Site visit guidelines

N/A

Work, health and safety

A risk assessment will be circulated to the students for the attendance of the laboratory session during the semester.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

CIVL1110: Materials

Intensive February, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1). As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction of a very high standard, a credit of a good standard, and a pass of an acceptable standard.

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

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Useful links

Media

Student links

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