Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-w5vf4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-20T08:36:55.057Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Enhanced Learning of Mechanical Behavior of Materials via Combined Experiments and nanoHUB Simulations: Learning Modules for Sophomore MSE Students

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2015

Aisling Coughlan ,
David Johnson ,
Heidi A. Diefes-Dux ,
K. Anna Douglas ,
Kendra Erk ,
Tanya A. Faltens  and
Alejandro Strachan
Aisling Coughlan
Affiliation:
School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
David Johnson
Affiliation:
School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
Heidi A. Diefes-Dux
Affiliation:
School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
K. Anna Douglas
Affiliation:
School of Engineering Education, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
Kendra Erk
Affiliation:
School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
Tanya A. Faltens
Affiliation:
Network for Computational Nanotechnology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
Alejandro Strachan
Affiliation:
School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A. Network for Computational Nanotechnology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.A.
Get access

Abstract

Undergraduate materials engineering students have difficulty conceptualizing the atomic-level processes responsible for plastic deformation. To aid in developing this conceptual understanding, interactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were introduced into the sophomore-level materials curriculum, integrating simulation with the traditional tensile testing laboratory. Students perform a tensile test using MD simulations on nanowire samples, and then compare these results with those from the physical tensile tests to develop a visual and more intuitive picture of plastic deformation of crystalline materials.

Keywords

educationnanostructuresimulation

Information

Type
Articles
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1762: Symposium AAA – Undergraduate Research in Materials Science—Impacts and Benefits , 2015 , mrsf14-1762-aaa06-03
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

Strachan, A., Palaria, A., Zhou, A., & Jhaveri, J. (2014). Nano-Materials Simulation Toolkit. https://nanohub.org/resources/matsimtk. (DOI: 10.4231/D3416T079).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, K.H., Holian, B.L., Germann, T.C., & Strachan, A. (2014). Mesodynamics with implicit degrees of freedom. Journal of Chemical Physics.141, 64107 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Antillon, E., Banlusan, K. & Strachan, A. (2014) Coarse grain model for coupled thermo-mechano-chemical processes and its application to pressure–induced endothermic chemical reactions. Modeling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering. 22, 25027.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brophy, S.P., Magana, A.J., & Strachan, A. (2013) Lectures and simulation laboratories to improve learners’ conceptual understanding. Advances in Engineering Education, 3(3) 1.Google Scholar
Diefes-Dux, H. A., Coughlan, A., Johnson, D. R., & Faltens, T. A. (2015). Students’ struggles to explain atomic behavior of metals in a tensile test lab. Proceedings of the 122nd ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Seattle, WA. In Press Google Scholar
Vedula, R.P.K., Bechtol, G., Haley, B.P., & Strachan, A. (2008) nanoMATERIALS SeqQuest DFT. https://nanohub.org/resources/nmst_dft. (DOI: 10.4231/D3FQ9Q61P).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jhaveri, J, Vedula, R.P.K., Strachan, A. & Haley, B.P. (2010) DFT calculations with Quantum ESPRESSO. https://nanohub.org/resources/dftqe. (DOI: 10.4231/D33R0PT4M).CrossRefGoogle Scholar