EMG 2201 ENGINEERING MATERIALS ASSIGNMENTS

CASE STUDY PROBLEMS

Case 1 [30 marks]

SELECTION OF POLYMERS FOR PACKAGING

Justify the use of the following polymers as packing in the following applications:
1. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for beverage containers.
2. Oriented polypropylene for easy-open bags and wraps.
3. Low-density polyethylene for bread bags.
4. Nylon for flexible packaging for meats and cheeses.
Your arguments should be based under the following sub headings;
The following criteria are important to one or more of these applications:
1. Strength (tensile, tear and impact) properties
2. Diffusion barrier properties
3. Packaging-contents interaction
4. Aesthetic properties such as color, transparency, printability, scuff resistance



Group 1 Mechanical (13 students) + Marine (5 students)












EMG 2201 ENGINEERING MATERIALS ASSIGNMENTS

Case 2 [30 marks]
SELECTION OF A COMPOSITE FOR AN AUTOMOTIVE DRIVE SHAFT
Problem Statement and Design Criteria
You need first to Design a driveshaft for an automobile.
The Five criteria that must be met are;
1. The shape constraint is that the materials must be able to be fabricated into the
length and diameter requirements of the driveshaft, which are variable, depending
on the size of the vehicle
2. The static torque, critical rotational speed, and twist rate of a typical driveshaft
must be met, which are variable, depending on the size of the vehicle
3. The material must meet the maximum and minimum service temperatures of the
driveshaft, which are typically 40 to 130
0
C.
4. The driveshaft must resist environmental degradationfor example, humidity,
engine oil, road salt.
5. The driveshaft must be resistant to impact.
The specifications for criteria 13 are summarized in Table below.

Group 2 Mechanical (13 students) + Marine (5 students)


EMG 2201 ENGINEERING MATERIALS ASSIGNMENTS


Case 3 [30 marks]
SELECTION OF MATERIALS AS TOOTH COATINGS
Propose a suitable replacement for enamel for use in coating a human tooth.
The primary design criteria are:
1. High wear resistance and compressive strength.
2. Good insulation of the pulp against temperature extremes.
3. Aesthetic acceptability.
4. Excellent bonding to tooth enamel.
5. Ease of application (processibility).
6. Biocompatibility.
You may be guided by the table by the table below



Group 3 Mechanical (13 students) + Marine (5 students)









EMG 2201 ENGINEERING MATERIALS ASSIGNMENTS






Case 4 [30 marks]
SELECTION OF METALS FOR A COMPRESSED AIR TANK

Design a vessel to contain compressed air. Economics and weight are obviously
issues to consider, but the primary consideration is safety; that is, the tank must not
rupture.

Specifically, the tank must meet three design criteria:
1. The maximum stress in the vessel must be below the yield strength of the
material used.
2. The vessel must not fail by fast fracture.
3. The vessel must not fail by fatigue.
Group 4 Mechanical (13 students) + Marine (5 students)













EMG 2201 ENGINEERING MATERIALS ASSIGNMENTS




Case 5 [30 marks]
SELECTION OF CERAMIC PIPING FOR COAL SLURRIES IN A COAL
LIQUEFACTION PLANT
Problem Statement and Design Criteria
Coal liquefaction is the process by which coal is crushed and dried, mixed with water to form a
slurry, and gasified to form a series of hydrocarbon fuels such as fuel oil, liquid propane, and
naphtha. One of the constraints in the development of coal liquefaction technology is the erosive
wear of such components as pumps, valves, and piping used in processing and conveyance of
flowing coal slurries.
The problem is notoriously acute in valves used to feed the process stream from the high-pressure
side of the valve to the low-pressure side. In these valves, which are designed to maintain the
pressure drop, the slurry stream velocity is quite high. This speed is further enhanced by the
expansion of the dissolved gases in the slurry stream. The consequence of this is erosive wear in
various valve components. Nominal wear life as short as 14 days has been reported for letdown
valves in some liquefaction plants. The problem is equally severe for the piping.
Design criterion for this problem:
Propose some materials that have improved wear resistance for fabricating parts of high-pressure
pumps and piping to be used in the pumping of coal slurries.

Group 5 Mechanical (13 students) + Marine (5 students)