Course detail

Degradation Processes in Engineering Materials

FSI-EDEAcad. year: 2026/2027

The course “Degradation Processes in Engineering Materials” is designed to introduce students to the fundamental mechanisms of both manufacturing-related and operational degradation of engineering materials, particularly steels and other metals. The knowledge gained will enable students to more accurately determine end-of-life conditions and utilize materials more efficiently, as well as to competently assess and identify the causes of failure.

Manufacturing degradation includes topics such as metallurgy, material purity, chemical and structural heterogeneity, and the effects of welding as an example of degradation caused by technological processes. This section will be complemented by an overview of defects that occur in castings, wrought products, and welded joints.

Operational degradation covers corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, wear, radiation embrittlement, and structural stability - focusing on their nature, their impact primarily on mechanical properties, and the methods of testing and evaluation.

The course also includes methodology for analyzing the causes of failures in machine components, supported by practical case studies.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

9

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. Libor Pantělejev, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Materials Science and Engineering (ÚMVI)

Entry knowledge

Knowledge of mathematics and physics at the level of basic courses taught in technical and science-oriented universities is required. Students should also have fundamental knowledge in materials engineering and related manufacturing technologies (metallurgy, foundry processes, forming, welding). In addition, familiarity with the following experimental methods is expected: metallography, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray spectral microanalysis (EDS, WDS).

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Conditions for awarding the corse-unit credit: Attendance at seminars , demonstrating the basic knowledge of the topics dealt with in the course of exercises when solving model problems. Exam: The knowledge of concepts, definitions and essentials of the topics discussed is tested. The emphasis is laid on testing the ability to apply the knowledge obtained. The exam is oral, in the case of second resit there is also a written part.
Education is controlled via the attendance at seminars; the attendance is recorded by the tutor. If the serious lack of knowledge or absence from exercises is found, the tutor assigns a topic for an individual written report.

Aims

The course objective is to familiarize students with problems of production and operation degradations in engineering materials on such a level that they should be able to assess the effect of the technologies used as well as of the conditions of exploitation on the properties of the materials of component parts and structures.
The course will provide students with the basic information on production and operation degradation in engineering materials. Students will learn to regard material as a chemically and structurally heterogeneous body, whose states can be greatly affected by exploitation conditions.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

ČSN 42 0015 - Vady tvářených ocelových hutních výrobků. Názvosloví a třídění vad (CS)
ELBEL, Tomáš. Diagnostika a řízení kvality odlitků: studijní opora. VŠB-Technická universita Ostrava, 2014, 179 s. ISBN 978-80-248-3584-6 (dostupné z https://www.fmmi.vsb.cz/export/sites/fmmi/modin/cs/studijni-opory/resitelsky-tym-2-metalurgie/diagnostika-a-rizeni-kvality-odlitku/Elbel_Diagnostika-a-rizeni-kvality-odlitku.pdf) (CS)
KUTZ, M. Handbook of Environmental Dagradation of Materials: Second Edition. Elsevier, 2012. DOI: 10.1016/C2010-0-66227-4. ISBN 9781437734560. (EN)
STRNADEL Bohumil. Nauka o materiálu II: Degradační procesy a design konstrukčních materiálů. Ostrava: VŠB-TU Ostrava, 2008, 280 s. ISBN 978-80-248-1842-9. (CS)
Wulpi, D.J. How Components Fail, 2nd ed., ASM International 2001, 293 s. ISBN 0-87170-631-8. (EN)

Recommended reading

STRNADEL, B. Nauka o materiálu II, Degradační procesy a design konstrukčních materiálů (učební text) VŠB TU:Ostrava 2011. (CS)
BOYD, Geoffrey M. (ed).Brittle fracture in steel structures. Elsevier, 2016, 136 s. ISBN 9781483192505. (EN)
COLLINS, Jack A. Failure of materials in mechanical design: analysis, prevention. John Wiley & Sons, 1993, 672 s. ISBN 9780471558910. (EN)
STRNADEL, Bohumír. Řešené příklady a technické úlohy z materiálového inženýrství, Ostrava 1998, 334 s. ISBN 80-238-3082-1. (CS)
WULPI Donald J. How Components Fail, Second Edition, ASM International 2001, 293 s. ISBN 0-87170-631-8. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme B-ZSI-P Bachelor's

    specialization MTI , 3 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Libor Pantělejev, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1. Fractography of metallic materials (basic mechanisms and selected defective fractures).
2. Effect of metallurgy on the properties of steels.
3. Purity and its effect on the properties of materials.
4. Chemical and related structural heterogeneity.
6. Production and operation degradation in weld joints, stability of structure.
7. Defects of casings and weldments.
8. Damage due to corrosion.
10. Hydrogen embrittlement.
11. Damage due to radiation.
12. Wear öf materials.
13. Analyses of the causes of machine part failures.

Exercise

26 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Libor Pantělejev, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1. Fractography - basic failure mechanisms.
2. Fractography - some types of defective fracture.
3. Deoxidation of steels by aluminium (pinholes, rocky candy fractures, types od suphide inclusionns).
4. Dendritic segregation, microsegregation - calculation, effect on properties.
5. Defects of casting and weldments, demonstrations.
6. Defects of formed iron and steel products, demonstrations.
7. Excursion to the metallurgical company (ŽĎAS).
8. Presentation of cases hydrogen embrittlement.
9. Wear of materials, calculations.
10. Wear of materials, presentations.
11. Presentation of cases of corrosion damage.
12. Analyses of causes of machine part failures.
13. Final consultation, corse-unit credit: