MIT 3.14 / 3.40J/22.71J Physical Metallurgy

Main text: Robert E. Reed-Hill, Reza Abbaschian,Physical Metallurgy Principles(3rded.or 4th ed., buy the cheapest one you can get, used book is fine)

Supplemental text: Peter Haasen,Physical Metallurgy, 3rd ed.(1996)

Instructor: Ju Li (, 24-202, 617-253-0166)

Office Hrs: anytime, including after lecture

Undergraduate Grading (3.14)

Midterm:30%

Final Exam:30%

Homework: 25%

Participation:15% (questions on class to random persons on the roster)

Graduate Grading (3.40J/22.71J)

Midterm:20%

Final Exam:20%

Homework: 10%

Leader of discussion: 20% (At the beginning of each lecture, one of you will stand up and address the class for 8 minutes. You will recap the lecture from last time, and provide additional clarity. You may do a power-point-style presentation and include new visuals that add value over what I have used in class; you may wish to include videos or other multimedia effects, or perhaps include some examples from current research in your own group, etc. You will be graded for (i) clarity of presentation, (ii) quality of content.)

Term Paper: 30% (a critique of ~10 pages on a research paper or topic in physical metallurgy, with 10+ references)

Upload homework “JohnSmith-p1.pdf” or term paper “JohnSmith-termpaper.pdf” to

Final grade will be “renormalized” to historical distribution.

How to do well:

  • Take good notes on class.
  • Do the homework on your own. If you need a hint after some thinking, talk to me. Intermediate steps are more important than the final result. Do not surrender to existing solutions.
  • Review the last lecture notes before the coming lecture.
  • Read and thoroughly understand the homework solutions. When puzzled, talk to me.

Course Description

Focuses on the links between the processing, structure, and properties of metals and alloys. First, the physical bases for strength, stiffness, and ductility are discussed with reference to crystallography, defects, and microstructure. Second, phase transformations and microstructural evolution are studied in the context of alloy thermodynamics and kinetics. Together, these components comprise the modern paradigm for designing metallic microstructures for optimized properties. Concludes with a focus on processing/microstructure/property relationships in structural engineering alloys, particularly steels and aluminum alloys.

Examines how the presence of 1-, 2- and 3-D defects and second phases control the mechanical, electromagnetic and chemical behavior of metals and alloys. Considers point, line and interfacial defects in the context of structural transformations including annealing, spinodal decomposition, nucleation, growth, and particle coarsening. Concentrates on structure-function relationships, and in particular how grain size, interstitial and substitutional solid solutions, and second-phase particles impact mechanical and other properties. Industrially relevant case studies illustrate lecture concepts. Students taking the graduate version explore the subject in greater depth.