- An undergraduate course
in
Engineering, Technology and Design.
Structural integrity: designing against failure
- On this page
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | T357 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| 2 Computer-marked assignments (CMAs) | |
| Examination | |
| No residential school | |
Structural integrity is the study of the safe design and assessment of components and structures under load, and has become increasingly important in engineering design. It integrates aspects of stress analysis, materials behaviour and the mechanics of failure into the engineering design process. The course is well-illustrated with case studies, and will be of interest to anyone associated with the design of any component or structure that experiences loading, and will be of benefit in developing skills in the analysis and assessment of product design. It has universal applicability in the UK and across international boundaries.
Modules at Level 3 assume that you are suitably prepared for study at this level. If you want to take a single module to satisfy your career development needs or pursue particular interests, you don’t need to start at Level 1 but you do need to have adequately prepared yourself for OU study in some other way. Check with our Student Registration & Enquiry Service to make sure that you are sufficiently prepared.
Register for the course
What you will study
This is a Level 3 engineering course, which integrates aspects of design, materials selection and mechanical engineering under the banner of ‘structural integrity’. It will be of particular relevance to you if you are studying towards a BEng (Hons) or MEng qualification, or pursuing a BSc and will benefit from exposure to and an understanding of the application of stress analysis principles and the causes underlying materials failures. It is also a valuable updating course for professional engineers as part of your continuing professional development. Structural integrity therefore covers a wide range of skills underpinning the design of products, components and structures that must operate safely and reliably.
The course has two main themes. It starts with Stress analysis. The concepts within stress analysis have wide applicability, as there are very few manufactured components and products that do not experience any loading during their life. The course starts with an introduction to the fundamentals of stress analysis, in obtaining stresses from known loads, describing the stress state at a point in a component, and relating stress and strain in a material.
It progresses to looking at loads on structures and assemblies, and methods for analysing these and other loading situations. The concept of residual stress is introduced, and how residual stresses can be introduced during the manufacturing process.
The course then moves on to look at concepts of Fracture mechanics. These concepts need to be understood in order to design components that do not fail under their design load, particularly when fatigue loading or environmental effects may have impaired the component’s load-bearing capability. It shows how failure assessment can be used to obtain information as to why a component or structure failed so that better information is available to inform future designs. The material within this section includes the topics below.
- Fracture mechanics begins with an introduction to the study of components that contain flaws or cracks, and how the fracture toughness of materials can be as important as the strength in assessing safety. It then looks at how fatigue of materials occurs, how the fatigue process can be related to fracture mechanics parameters, and how the fatigue life of a component under complex loading can be assessed.
- Failure modes looks at how failures can be analysed to give insight into how a component was loaded and what form of loading or stress state led to failure. It examines how different materials fail according to their fundamental properties.
- Environmental factors; one of the most important factors influencing a material’s lifetime is the environment in which the component will spend its life: for example a factor such as corrosion can have a severe detrimental effect either by initiating or propagating existing flaws.
You will learn
- How to model the behaviour of engineering structures under load, and use stress analysis principles in problem solving.
- How to model and predict the performance of cracked structures under load.
- To interpret engineering case studies of failure in terms of fundamental fracture mechanics and stress analysis concepts.
Entry
This is a Level 3 course. Level 3 courses build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from studies at Levels 1 and 2. They are intended only for students who have recent experience of higher education in a related subject, preferably with The Open University. You should have previously studied engineering-related courses at Level 1 and 2. You will also need mathematical skills for engineers or scientists. In particular you should be able to:
- describe the concept of stress in an engineering context, and relate it simply to an applied force
- describe the concept of strain, and its relation to stress through the Young’s modulus of a material
- recognise the names of common metals, ceramics and polymers
- distinguish between metals, ceramics and polymers in terms of their atomic and molecular structure, and understand how the atomic-level structure and microstructure of a solid material relates to its physical properties
- identify, from a curve of engineering stress against engineering strain for an elastic material, the Young’s modulus, yield stress and tensile strength of the material
- describe the mechanisms of creep, corrosion and fatigue in materials
- use mathematical principles to solve engineering-based problems.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Preparatory work
Make sure you are familiar with Windows and suitable word-processing and spreadsheet software.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.
If you have a disability
The course requires interpretation of a number of complex illustrations and diagrams. Students with a severe visual impairment, or who use a screen reader to study, are strongly recommended to contact their regional or national centre for advice before registering onto this course. The study materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. The books are available in a comb-bound format. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you have particular study requirements please tell us as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Visit our Services for disabled students website for more information, including:
- help to determine your study requirements and how to request the support that you need
- Disabled Students' Allowances (DSAs)
- using a computer for OU study
- equipment and other support services that we offer
- examination arrangements
- how to contact us for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
The course comprises the printed course texts, a DVD-ROM, online forums and a website.
Computing requirements
You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.
- If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
- If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
- If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.
You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
Your tutor will help you with the study material and will mark and give feedback on the continuous assessment for the course.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Professional recognition
This course is part of the BEng (Hons) programme, which can lead to CEng status with a professional engineering institution.
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2014. We expect it to be available again in October 2014. We then expect it to be available once a year, in October.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button.
Student Reviews
“A great Level 3 engineering course - achievable and engaging. T357 is extremely well presented and easy to follow. The ...”
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“A good hard engineering course, I feel you need to do this if you're going down the mechanical route. Two ...”
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Distance learning
The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.
For more information read Distance learning explained.
Undergraduate
| Course facts | |
|---|---|
| About this course: | |
| Course code | T357 |
| Credits | 30 |
| OU Level | 3 |
| SCQF level | 10 |
| FHEQ level | 6 |
| Course work includes: | |
| 3 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| 2 Computer-marked assignments (CMAs) | |
| Examination | |
| No residential school | |
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