Lecturer: DR NOEL RUTTER
Dr. Noel Rutter (PhD Cambridge, 2001, MA Cambridge, 2001, BA Cambridge 1997) is currently a Research Associate in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy in the University of Cambridge. He was awarded a College Prize by St. John's College in 1996 and a Hockin Prize in 1997, in addition to an ICI Prize from the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy. He also held a United Steel Companies Scholarship through St. John's from 1996-2000 and was the Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers research scholar from 1999-2001.
After completing his PhD in the field of Superconducting Materials, he spent 2 years working for the United States Government Department of Energy, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He then returned to Cambridge where his current research interests include superconducting wires & tapes, thin film materials and electro-magnetic characterisation.
He is an author of around 25 scientific papers and has been invited to present his work on several occasions in Europe and North America.
He has taught the first and second year undergraduate Materials Science course at Cambridge University over several years, beginning in 1999, is Head of Class for undergraduate practical sessions and is currently assisting in presenting a lecture course on Devices Materials. Additionally, he has presented lectures in the “Physics at Work” series and is a Science and Engineering Ambassador (SEA).
The course will present aspects of the first year undergraduate course in Engineering at a level accessible to anyone with a basic scientific background. In addition to presenting factual information, the course will also seek to develop general transferable skills through case studies, mini-projects and practicals. Each session will concentrate on an important Engineering theme, with key information being disseminated through a lecture format, interspersed at regular intervals with other activities. Assessment of the course will be based equally on i) participation in lecture sessions, projects and practicals and ii) a short written exam covering aspects taught in the course.
1. Forces and Energy
a) Newton's Laws
b) Transfer of forces
c) Stress and strain
d) Friction
2. Materials
a) Metals, ceramics and polymers
b) Small-scale structure of materials
c) Manufacturing processes
3. Structural Failure
a) Yielding
b) Fracture
c) Fatigue
4. Thermodynamics
a) Heat and Temperature - the 1st Law
b) Entropy - the 2nd Law
5. Modern Engineering
a) Superconductors
b) Nano-engineering
Suggested course reading (numbers in brackets indicate the applicable course session)
The New Science of Strong Materials, J.E. Gordon, Princeon University Press, 1976. (1,2,3)
The 2nd law, P.W. Atkins, Scientific, American Books, 1994. (4)
Tomorrow's materials, K. E Easterling, IOM Communications, 1993. (5)
The Materials Issues of the WTC Assault, Thomas Eagar (3)
Article appears in the journal JOM, 53, 12, 2001, pp. 8-11.
Available online at http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0112/intro.html
Higher Engineering Science, W. Bolton, Elsevier, 2004. (1)
Higher National Engineering, M. Tooley & L. Dingle, Elsevier, 1998. (1)
The Science & Engineering of Materials, D.R. Askeland, Chapman & Hall, 1996. (2,3)
Materials Principles and Practice, C. Newey and G. Weaver, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1991. (2,3)
Engineering Materials I and II, M.F. Ashby & D.R.H. Jones, Pergammon, 1991. (2,3)
Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea, M.A. Ratner, D. Ratner, Prentice-Hall, 2002. (5)
Made to Measure, P. Ball, Princeton, 1997. (5)