OVERVIEW

Metallic materials, an integral part of everyday life, are the result of thousands of years of development and evolution in the field of knowledge and technology. The areas covered range from archaeology to engineering, through chemistry and materials science. For this reason, the course consists of a brief introduction to the history of metallurgy "how we got here" to arrive at modern steelmaking with a vision of carbon steels and the impact of heat, mechanical and chemical treatments in conditioning their salient properties. The course contributes to understanding the research activities and job prospects in the field of metallurgy with examples and case studies that allow a concrete vision of practical applications. 

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to provide the basic concepts of metallurgy and of the production and processing processes of metallic materials. Knowledge of the principles for selecting and manufacturing metallic materials in relation to their different industrial use. Knowledge of the main metallographic investigation techniques. Ability to recognize the microstructures of steels and metal alloys in the various stages of industrial production and transformation and to relate them to the properties in use.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course aims to provide students with tools to understand the nature of metals and alloys from both a microscopic and macroscopic point of view in order to see their practical applicability. Students are guided in acquiring the ability to correlate the intrinsic properties of the metallic bond with the main characteristics of metals and their alloys so that they can, subsequently, be able to connect the thermomechanical history of the material to its mechanical properties and, both, to the microstructure. The learning outcomes correspond to being able to understand and predict the impact of the thermomechanical history, related to production or use, on the microstructure of a carbon steel and a cast iron and, consequently, to find the correlation with the resulting mechanical properties.

At the end of the course, the student will have the tools to reason in a structured and critical way on the active scientific approach to the study and use of metallic materials in industrial practice.

At the end of the course, thanks to the acquired awareness of the development of techniques and applied knowledge as well as material culture, the student will be able to:

- explain the nature of the crystalline structure (atomic level), the microstructure (crystalline level) of metals and alloys and the resulting macroscopic properties, whether chemical, physical or technological;

- understand the nature and the respective difference between the structures based on whether they are in equilibrium or out of equilibrium, connecting this concept to the common production techniques and transformation processes of metals and alloys through thermal, mechanical and combined treatments;

- know the main mechanical properties (tensile strength, hardness, hot creep, fatigue, resilience);

- know the main techniques for characterizing metallurgical samples (e.g. sample preparation, optical microscopy, electronic microscopy)

- correlate the knowledge acquired with the behavior in operation or with the various stages of industrial production and transformation.

Students with a number of ECTS required by their course of study less than 8 will have complete theoretical training but will lack the practical laboratory part.

Therefore, in addition to the above, students:

• with 8 ECTS will be able to perform hardness tests and analyze metallographic and mechanical data resulting from samples with different thermomechanical history.

• with 7 ECTS they will be able to perform hardness tests and interpret their meaning

• with 6 ECTS they will remember basic notions on the characterization of metallic materials

PREREQUISITES

It is considered an advantage for the student to have some knowledge of inorganic chemistry and in particular to have a basis on: phase diagrams of binary alloys, crystal lattices. Nevertheless, the teaching is open to all and is structured in order to provide the opportunity to learn with a minimum basis of chemical knowledge.

TEACHING METHODS

The teaching takes place for a total of 48 hours (6 CFU) in the classroom with frontal teaching. Each lesson is enriched with practical application examples deriving from field experience and research activities.

For students with 7 CFU required by their study plan, 13 hours of theoretical-practical teaching are planned in the laboratory with the full-time teachers assisted by laboratory tutors. Students are divided into groups of 4 or 5 people so that they can alternate in the various activities. The organization and dates of the laboratory activities will be communicated directly by the teachers at the beginning of the lessons.

For students with 8 CFU required by their study plan, 26 hours of theoretical-practical teaching are planned in the laboratory with the full-time teachers assisted by laboratory tutors. Students are divided into groups of 4 or 5 people so that they can alternate in the various activities. The organization and dates of the laboratory activities will be communicated directly by the teachers at the beginning of the lessons.

For the above students (7 CFU and 8 CFU) Attendance at laboratory is mandatory, as per the Teaching Regulations.

Students enrolled for 6 CFU complete the teaching with the classroom part.

Students with disabilities or specific learning disabilities (DSA) are reminded that in order to request adaptations during the exam, they must first enter the certification on the University website at servizionline.unige.it in the “Students” section. The documentation will be verified by the University Services Sector for the inclusion of students with disabilities and with DSA (https://rubrica.unige.it/strutture/struttura/100111).

Subsequently, well in advance (at least 10 days) of the exam date, an email must be sent to the teacher with whom the exam will be taken, copying both the School Contact Teacher for the inclusion of students with disabilities and with DSA (sergio.didomizio@unige.it) and the Sector indicated above. In the email you must specify:

• the name of the course

• the date of the exam

• the surname, name and student number

• the compensatory tools and dispensatory measures deemed functional and required.

The contact person will confirm to the teacher that the applicant has the right to request adaptations during the exam and that such adaptations must be agreed with the teacher. The teacher will respond by communicating whether it is possible to use the requested adaptations.

Requests must be sent at least 10 days before the exam date in order to allow the teacher to evaluate the content. In particular, if you intend to use concept maps for the exam (which must be much more concise than the maps used for studying), if the sending does not respect the expected times, there will not be the technical time necessary to make any changes.

For further information regarding the request for services and adaptations, consult the document: Guidelines for the request for services, compensatory tools and/or dispensatory measures and specific aids.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

General Metallurgy

Definition of metal, metallic bond, lattice, lattice defects, alloying element, formation of an alloy. Correlation between the main properties of metals and alloys with the metallic bond and the crystalline lattice state. Definition of solid solution, intermetallic phase and compound, eutectic, peritectic transformation. Melt-solid transition for a pure metal and for an alloy. Primary segregation (microsegregation), macrosegregation and macrodefectiveness of a melt. Solidification in ingot mold and distinction of zones: Microcrystalline, transcrystalline, equiaxed.

Characterization of metallic materials

Optical and electronic metallographic characterization: Primary attacks for steels: Thiography (Bauman impression), Oberhoffer, Lechatelier. Secondary attacks: Nital, Picral.

Characterization of mechanical properties: hardness, tensile stres, creep, fatigue, impact strength.

Equilibrium and out-of-equilibrium structures

The Fe-C diagram: distinction between steels and cast irons, identification of critical points and transformations of iron and its alloys. Steels at equilibrium. White cast irons. Grey cast irons. Introduction to S-curves (Bain curves, TTT curves) and CCC curves. Heat treatments of steel in the gamma field: soft annealing, isothermal annealing, normalization, hardening. Heat treatments of steel in the alpha field: tempering of a hardened steel (quenching and tempering) and definition of hardenability (Jominy specimen), stress relief and recrystallization. Surface heat treatments (surface hardening). Surface thermochemical treatments: carburizing, nitriding.

Program for students using the 7 ECTS course

Practical activities of: application of heat treatments on carbon steel samples, hardness measurements on treated samples,

Program for students using the 8 ECTS course

In addition to the above, metallographic preparation and characterization using a metallographic optical microscope with hints of image analysis. Recognition of microstructures observed under the microscope. Demonstration of the use of electronic microscopy and sand casting practice.

Students using the 6 ECTS course do not have access to laboratory activities

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

All slides used during the lessons and other teaching materials will be available on aul@web. In general, the notes taken during the lessons and the material on aul@web are sufficient for the preparation of the exam.

Daniel A. Brandt, Metallurgy Fundamentals, Goodheart-Willcox; Sixth Edition, Textbook (October 9, 2019)

D.R. Askeland, P.P Fulay, W. J. Wright, The Science and Engineering of Materials, 2010 Cengage Learning, Inc.

R. E. Smallman and A. H.W. Ngan, Physical Metallurgy and Advanced Materials, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2007

In case the student autonomously finds a book potentially suitable for this teaching, it is mandatory to submit it to the teachers evaluation before to proceed with its usage.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

from 22 September 2025

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam is oral.

The test is divided into 3 questions, one for each macro topic (General metallurgy, characterization of materials, equilibrium and non-equilibrium structures with related heat treatments). Each answer is evaluated from 0 to 10 points.

The final grade corresponds to the sum of the points acquired with the answers.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the teacher and with Professor Sergio Di Domizio (sergio.didomizio@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The purpose of the exam is to verify the knowledge acquired about the basic concepts of the course and the ability to connect them logically in describing the correlation between microstructural aspects and macroscopic properties of metallic materials.

The propriety of language and coherence in reasoning are taken into great consideration for the evaluation, giving great importance to the ability to make connections.

The questions are posed in such a way as to allow a detailed exposition on a specific topic. There are three questions and each focuses on one of the three sections that characterize the teaching, leaving room to manage the reasoning. The understanding of the subject and the ability to apply it in the practical field of work and research are assessed.

FURTHER INFORMATION

The course is preparatory for the courses in Advanced Metallurgy (Master's Degree in Advanced Materials Science and Technology, formerly Materials Science) and Non-Ferrous Metals. For further information on the historical aspect and on applications in the field of cultural heritage, this course can be integrated with Metallurgy for Cultural Heritage of the Master's Degree in Methodologies for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage.

The teaching is updated every year based on the innovations in the metallurgical sector, the evolution of research at a global level and the requests raised by the students through the collection of end-of-semester questionnaires.

Students who have valid certification of physical or learning disabilities on file with the University and who wish to discuss possible accommodations or other circumstances regarding lectures, coursework and exams, should speak both with the instructor and with Professor Sergio Di Domizio (sergio.didomizio@unige.it), the Department’s disability liaison.