Yearbooks

Programme: BEngHons Metallurgical Engineering

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Code Faculty
12240063 Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Credits Duration
Duration of study: 1 year Total credits: 120

Programme information

The curriculum is determined in consultation with the relevant heads of departments. A student is required to pass modules to the value of at least 128 credits.

The degree is awarded on the basis of examinations only.

Admission requirements

Subject to the stipulations of the General Regulations, Reg. G.1.3 and G.54, a BEng degree or equivalent qualification is required for admission.

Other programme-specific information

A limited number of appropriate modules from other departments are allowed.

Examinations and pass requirements

  1. The examination in each module for which a student is registered, takes place during the normal examination period after the conclusion of lectures (i.e. October/November or May/June).
  2. A student registered for the honours degree must complete his or her studies within two years (full-time), or within three years (part-time) after first registration for the degree: Provided that the Dean, on recommendation of the relevant head of department, may approve a stipulated limited extension of this period.
  3. A student must obtain at least 50% in an examination for each module where no semester or year mark is required. A module may only be repeated once.
  4. In modules where semester or year marks are awarded, a minimum examination mark of 40% and a final mark of 50% is required.
  5. No supplementary or special examinations are granted at postgraduate level.

Pass with distinction

A student passes with distinction if he or she obtains a weighted average of at least 75% in the first 128 credits for which he or she has registered (excluding modules which were discontinued timeously). The degree is not awarded with distinction if a student fails any one module (excluding modules which were discontinued timeously).

Minimum credits: 128

NLO 700 compulsory module / verpligte module

Core modules

  • Module content:

    At the end of the module, students should be able to conceptualise and design new electrometallurgical processes and improve the operation of existing processes through an understanding of the basic principles of the thermodynamics and kinetics of electrochemistry, measurement techniques used in electrochemistry, and considering the principles of electrochemical reactor design, different electrode and cell configurations, role of additives to electrolytes, role of impurities in the electrowinning process, the steps involved in electrocrystallization processes and present practices used for the electrowinning of metals such as copper, nickel, cobalt, zinc, manganese and gold.

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  • Module content:

    The module deals with the basic understanding of phase transformations in alloys, and its relationship with microstructure and mechanical properties of alloys. Included are transformation processes such as solidification; nucleation, growth and coarsening of precipitates; the use of carbides and intermetallic compounds in steels; static and dynamic re-crystallisation; grain growth and the use of grain boundary engineering; the martensite, bainite and pearlite transformations; thermomechanical processing and some elements of quantitative metallography. The course is practice orientated; the current best fundamental understanding of these transformation processes covered, and its role in engineering application demonstrated. The course is fully documented on CD-ROM from the latest literature and is largely intended for that research student who is embarking on a physical metallurgical research project.

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  • Module content:

    The emphasis is on the practice of the heat treatment of steels, covering the following topics: introduction and fundamental aspects of the  Fe-C  system; alloying elements; tempering of martensite; pearlite and bainite formation, hardenability; annealing, normalizing, hardening and tempering; stress relieving, use of CCT and TTT diagrams, HSLA steels, tool steels; stainless steels, heat treatment furnaces and their atmospheres, induction hardening, carburisation, nitriding, mechanical testing, non-destructive examination and heat treatment, hydrogen embrittlement, temper embrittlement, quantitative metallography for quality control, heat treatment for fracture toughness and heat treatment case studies.  The course is partly available on CD-ROM with up-to-date references to the latest literature.

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  • Module content:

    The aim with this course is to enable the students to understand the design and operation of hydrometallurgical processes for the beneficiation of minerals and metals. The theoretical basis of the solution chemistry underlying hydrometallurgical processes, the purification and concentration options available, and the metal recovery processes such as precipitation, hydrogen reduction, and electrowinning are reviewed. This is then followed by the consideration of the engineering aspects and the technical application of hydrometallurgical processes for a number of ores relevant to South Africa.

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  • Module content:

    The aim with this course is to facilitate the development of the students in corrosion engineering by considering the electrochemical fundamentals of corrosion processes as well as their experimental and practical implications for corrosion diagnosis and control. The practical manifestations of the broad types of corrosion are reviewed and the skills of the students to utilise corrosion control methodologies such as chemical and electrochemical control, protective coatings and material selection to control corrosion are developed.

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  • Module content:

    The refereed literature on a specific topic (normally related to subsequent research towards a master's degree) is studied and summarised in a written report.  The important skills are finding appropriate papers, reading and comprehending these, and using the information in the paper to construct your own view on the research topic.  There are no formal contact sessions.  The first part of this module involves definition of a research topic (to be approved by the head of the department), development of a literature survey and compilation of a detailed research proposal. The second part of the module involves generation, presentation and critical interpretation of a project plan/results, and compilation of a written report and an oral presentation. The written document must be submitted at the end of October, with an oral presentation of 20-30 minutes in the week following submission of the survey.

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  • Module content:

    We cover the interaction between the internal structure of metals – on the atomic and microscopic scales – and their mechanical properties. Practically important topics such as elastic and plastic stress analysis, dislocations and deformation, room and high temperature deformation processes, mechanical property/microstructure relationships for low and medium Carbon steels and for micro-alloyed and HSLA steels, fatigue processes, stress corrosion cracking, creep deformation processes and fracture mechanics are covered in depth, and illustrated with case studies.  The course is largely available on  CD-ROM  with references to the latest literature.

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  • Module content:

    Principles and advanced theory of comminution, classification and density separation are covered.

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  • Module content:

    The aim is to solve metallurgical problems with the aid of hi-tech analytical techniques. These different analytical techniques are given in modular form and the respective metallurgical area of specialisation will dictate the combination of three techniques to suit the requirements of the research student. Specialisation areas like Physical Metallurgy, Welding Metallurgy, Hydro Metallurgy, Pyro Metallurgy and Minerals Processing are covered and any other combination can be requested by the study leaders after consultation with the course leader. The techniques included are TEM, SEM, Auger Spectroscopy (AES), X-ray Photo-electron Spectroscopy (XPS), Glow Discharge Optical emission Spectroscopy (GDOES), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Gleeble hot working simulations and Dilatometry. Lectures cover the theory of these techniques in depth and the theory is illustrated with industrial case studies.

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  • Module content:

    We aim to provide you with practice in using fundamental principles to analyse pyrometallurgical processes – to be able to go from understanding to process improvement. To this end, the necessary fundamentals of reaction equilibria (including activity descriptions), reaction kinetics, and mass and energy balances are reviewed. Practical examples illustrate the use of these principles. In the final block, we analyse a number of practical processes in more detail. Throughout, the emphasis is on quantification, and at least half of the contact time is devoted to computer-based calculations.

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  • Module content:

    Fundamentals of sulphide and coal flotation are covered, including the chemistry of sulphide mineral flotation; natural and induced hydrophobicity; physical and chemical interactions in coal flotation; review of sulphydryl and oxydryl collectors and their absorption mechanisms; the role of activators/depressants and pH regulators as well as an investigation of frothers and froth stability, with reference to recent industrial developments.  Aspects of flotation practice are addressed: Experimental methods for laboratory and plant trials; basic and complex flotation circuits with examples from recent developments; control in flotation plants: reagents/conditioning.  Finally, relevant interfacial surface chemistry is covered: the role of water in flotation; mechanisms and thermodynamics of collector activity.

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  • Module content:

    This module examines the basic physical metallurgy and heat treatment of various metals and alloys, and the application of various mechanical testing techniques, microstructural analysis and corrosion testing to characterise metals and alloys.  The structure and properties of welds in carbon steels, stainless steels, cast irons, copper and copper alloys, nickel and nickel alloys, aluminium and aluminium alloys and other materials (Ti, Mg, Ta and Zr) are discussed.  Defects are discussed and various techniques to avoid the formation of these defects in welds are considered.

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  • Module content:

    The objective is to convey a fundamental understanding of the principles that are involved in the manufacture, selection and use of refractories. Relevant thermodynamic principles are reviewed, with emphasis on the thermodynamic properties of oxide materials, metals and slags, and how these affect refractory performance. Phase diagram use in refractory selection and prediction of slag-metal-refractory interactions is covered. A section on manufacture covers the types of raw materials, design and formulation, handling, manufacturing routes, and quality control (including practical mineralogy). Finally, design properties of refractories for the ferrous, cement, aluminium, copper, platinum and ferro-alloy industries are reviewed.

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  • Module content:

    This module examines arc physics, electrotechnics as applied to weld power sources, and power source design. The fundamental principles, applications, consumables and process variables of various arc welding processes, oxy-gas welding techniques, resistance welding processes, power beam processes and solid-state welding techniques are considered. Brazing and soldering, cutting, surfacing and metal spraying techniques are discussed. The module also looks at the welding of plastics, ceramics and composites, and at the mechanisation and use of robotics in the welding and joining industries. Practical training is included in this module.

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  • Module content:

    This module examines welded joint design, the basics of weld design and the role of fracture mechanics in joint design. The behaviour of welded structures under different types of loading are considered, with special focus on the design of welded structures with predominantly static loading and the design of dynamically loaded welded structures. The design of welded pressure equipment, aluminium alloy structures and reinforcing-steel welded joints is considered.

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  • Module content:

    This module covers both the theory and practice of sampling, primarily with respect to the minerals processing industry.  As sampling is statistical in nature, basic statistics relevant to sampling theory will be considered.  The module will then focus on the theory of sampling with specific reference to managing large and small scale variability.  The effect of interpolation errors, periodic errors and increment weighting errors will be considered under large scale variability.  Under small scale variability the determination and management of various errors that result in small scale variability will be covered, as well as the compilation of sampling protocols that can minimise these errors.  The module will also examine the evaluation of dry and wet sampling equipment with respect to the different bias generators, as well as the implementation of sampling protocols in practice.  Ore types covered during the course include coal, iron ore, gold and platinum.

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  • Module content:

    This module looks at quality assurance and control in welded fabrication and manufacture, and introduces various standards and codes of manufacture used in the welding industry. Measurement, control and recording in welding, the principle of fitness for purpose, as well as health and safety issues are addressed. Control of residual stresses and distortion during welding, non-destructive testing, repair welding, and the economics of welding are considered. This module also examines plant facilities, welding jigs and fixtures. Special emphasis is placed on the design and implementation of welding procedure specifications, procedure qualification records and quality control plans. A number of case studies are examined.

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  • Module content:

    In this module the mechanical behaviour of metals and alloys at room and high temperature is addressed but with special emphasis on nuclear materials used in commercial power reactors. In particular these materials’ behaviour under deformation, creep, fracture, fatigue and also corrosion in irradiation conditions for in-core materials as well as their behaviour under the unique environmental conditions for out-of-core materials is covered.

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  • Module content:

    This module covers both the theory and practice of mathematical modelling applied to metallurgical processes and materials. The module applies the theory mastered in prior learning such as mathematics, physics, thermodynamics, fluid mechnanics, heat transfer, etc. to create mathematical representations of processes and materials. A range of modelling techniques is addressed in the module, such as solution models of solid and liquid mixtures, mass and energy balances, steady state process models, dynamic process models, heat transfer models, computational fluid dynamics models, multiphysics models and technical-economic models. The created models are then applied to solve problems encountered in research and industry.

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The information published here is subject to change and may be amended after the publication of this information. The General Regulations (G Regulations) apply to all faculties of the University of Pretoria. It is expected of students to familiarise themselves well with these regulations as well as with the information contained in the General Rules section. Ignorance concerning these regulations and rules will not be accepted as an excuse for any transgression.

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