Subject fundamentals The primary aim of this course is to give students basic knowledge of materials, microstructure and processing technologies of interest for automotive and mechanical engineering. The properties of the main classes of materials will be presented, in particular their mechanical and thermal properties. Special attention will be given to steels, cast irons and Al alloys along with their manufacturing processes. Applications of selected classes of steels, Al alloys, cast irons will be discussed, together with the main classes of polymers, aiming to guide students toward material selection, design and quality assessment. Expected learning outcomes The main aim is to provide the student with a robust background in materials, able to couple scientific and technological knowledge in a synergistic manner, providing general guidelines for translating scientific knowledge into technological tools for mechanical and automotive engineering. The student will learn: - the relation between materials atomic structure and properties; - how to exploit this scientific background in controlling materials properties; - how to select materials to fulfil design requirements; - to develop a confident approach to materials and their properties; - how the main mechanical tests are executed practically; - how to correlate the mechanical and technological properties of alloys with manufacturing technologies, - how to optimally select metals and alloys, including manufacturing processes for the design and construction of mechanical components and structures under specified operating conditions.