Academic year/semester: 2026/27/1

ECTS Credits: 3

Available for: All OU students

Lecture hours: 0
Seminarium:0
Practice: 0
Laboratory: 1
Consultation: 1

Prerequisites:

Course Leader: Dr. József Nádas

Faculty: Kandó Kálmán Faculty of Electrical Engineering, 1084 Budapest, Tavaszmező utca 17.

Course Description:
The objective of the course is to provide students with knowledge of the properties and behavior of basic and structural materials most commonly used in the electrical industry, at a level appropriate for the professional requirements of electrical engineers.

The theoretical component of the course is delivered via e-learning, in which students prepare independently using the provided learning materials. Instructor support is available through consultations and electronic communication channels. The course also includes laboratory practice sessions of two hours every two weeks.

Competences:
Fundamentals of material structure, atomic bonding, and crystal lattice structures. Solids and their characteristic properties. Relationships between material structure and material properties. Classification, structure, and properties of materials commonly used in the electrical industry.

Topics:
Theory topics
Description of the e-learning methodology. Introduction to materials science.
Material structure: atomic structure and chemical bonding.
Crystalline structure: ideal and real crystals; crystal defects and their effects on material properties.
Fundamental thermodynamic concepts: thermodynamic potentials and their role in process description. Transport phenomena, with emphasis on diffusion.
Phase transformations and phase diagrams: solidification and crystallization; phase transformation mechanisms..
Overview of the most important material properties from the perspective of material structure and solid-state physics. Midterm Test 1 (MT1)
Electrical properties of materials: conductors, insulators, and semiconductors; charge transport in metals and semiconductors.
Charge transport in gases and liquids. Materials for electrochemical energy sources. Corrosion of metals.
Magnetic and optical properties of materials.
Mechanical properties of materials.
Ceramic materials.
Polymers and composite materials.
Midterm Test 2 (MT2)
Summary, consultation.

Laboratory:
Educational goal: Laboratory exercises during the student to obtain experience the used in the electrical industry materials with his behavior and with its characterization in connection. Measurement tasks solution during practice the data its depiction, measurement results evaluation, interpretation.
Laboratory topic: Him different material testing method getting to know turntable in the system.

Accident protection, lab discussion, group assignment.

1. Spectroscopy
2. Insulators
3. Microscopy
4. Magneto-optics
5. Electro-optics
Re-take and make up

Assessment: MID-SEMESTER REQUIREMENTS – THEORY Blended-learning format All lectures and teaching materials are provided electronically via the course e-learning platform. Students study the materials independently in accordance with the schedule aligned with the laboratory sessions. Weekly practice quizzes (Moodle) Continuous, week-by-week independent study is required to successfully complete the course. During the semester, students must complete 10 online practice quizzes in Moodle by the specified deadlines. Each quiz may be attempted multiple times; the highest score counts. A condition for obtaining the course signature is to complete all practice quizzes with a minimum score of 50% on each. Failure to meet this requirement results in ineligibility for course completion. Midterm tests (MT) Two online midterm tests (MT1 and MT2) will be administered in Moodle. Questions are randomly selected from the weekly quiz question bank. MT1 covers the first half of the syllabus; MT2 covers the second half. Each MT must be completed within the published time window (deadline). For each MT, students have up to three attempts in total (the original attempt plus two retake opportunities). No further attempts are available. The best result from the three attempts is recorded as the final result for that MT. A condition for obtaining the course signature is MT1 ≥ 50% (grade ≥ 2) and MT2 ≥ 50% (grade ≥ 2). Students who do not attempt the MTs (i.e., have not submitted/started MT attempts) are ineligible for course completion. Exam The exam is a written, Moodle assessment and may include: multiple-choice/test questions, short essays, definitions, completion and explanation of figures, and calculation problems. In a cross-semester (“exam course”) format, the exam may be oral or written, depending on the number of registered students. 0–49% 1 (fail) 50–59% 2 (sufficient) 60–69% 3 (good) 70–79% 4 (very good) 80–100% 5 (excellent) Score thresholds for MTs and the exam The overall grade for the theoretical component (TG) is the arithmetic mean of the two midterm test grades (MT1 and MT2), rounded to two decimal places. Formula: TG = (MT1 + MT2)/2 MID-SEMESTER REQUIREMENTS – LABORATORY PRACTICE Participation Active participation in laboratory sessions is mandatory and requires in-person attendance. Absence is permitted only in exceptional, well-justified cases. Missed measurements must be made up. Please plan accordingly. Laboratory work is performed in pairs or groups of three. Recording results and post-processing/evaluation are individual work. The instructor assigns the weekly schedule for each group at the beginning. The laboratory sessions are independent (not sequential), therefore different groups may complete experiments in a different order. Students must prepare according to their assigned schedule. Lab Entry Test (LET) Preparation for each laboratory session must be demonstrated by completing a short pre-lab assignment. The pre-lab assignment must be completed before the session (typically at home). Format: maximum one A4 page, handwritten (lined or squared paper). Only handwritten submissions are accepted. Content: (i) a brief summary of the upcoming laboratory exercise based on the lab guide, in the student’s own words; and (ii) answers to 2–3 selected review questions for that exercise. The entry test is graded by the lab instructor. The average of entry test grades is the LET grade. Entry tests cannot be replaced later. If a student cannot present the entry test at the start of the session, they receive a grade of 0 for that entry test, regardless of the reason. Any number of “0”/insufficient entry-test grades may occur; these affect the average only and do not, by themselves, prevent obtaining the course signature. Lab Reports (LR1…LRn) A lab report must be prepared for each laboratory exercise. Reports must be prepared individually after the measurement and submitted by the specified deadline. Apart from jointly measured raw data and derived numerical results, submitted reports must not contain identical text. Copying is not permitted. Plagiarism includes copying from any source (internet, other students, etc.) without proper citation and/or submitting unprocessed text instead of independent work. In case of plagiarism, the student is excluded from course completion and may complete the course only by re-taking it in a subsequent semester. Each report is graded by the lab coordinator (LR1…LRn). If, due to scheduling constraints, fewer measurements are performed, then fewer reports are required and graded. A condition for obtaining the course signature is that all required lab reports are completed with at least a satisfactory grade. Reports graded as unsatisfactory must be corrected by the end of the teaching period, by the additional deadline set by the instructor. A report graded satisfactory may be improved by resubmission only with prior agreement with the lab coordinator. Late submission / replacement / correction is permitted at most twice (i.e., for a maximum of two reports), and only by the additional deadline specified by the instructor. The average of the final report grades (including any corrected grades) constitutes the LR grade. Laboratory measurements cannot be made up during the exam period. Supplementing missing reports or correcting insufficient reports is only possible during the teaching period, unless completed in the first week of the exam period as part of a signature replacement procedure. In that case, submission is paper-based at the signature replacement session. Because this counts as a signature replacement procedure, an offered mid-semester grade cannot be awarded; the student must take the regular exam after obtaining the course signature. Laboratory Qualification Test (LQT) During the 5th laboratory session, a 15–20 minute qualification test is held at the beginning of the session. The test is based on the laboratory review question set. A condition for obtaining the course signature is at least satisfactory performance in the LQT. The LQT may be retaken during the make-up laboratory session. The LQT may also be completed in the first week of the exam period as part of a signature replacement procedure. In this case, an offered mid-semester grade cannot be awarded; the student must take the regular exam after obtaining the course signature. Laboratory Grade (LG) The laboratory grade (LG) is the weighted average of laboratory performance, rounded to two decimal places: LG = 0.25·LET + 0.50·LR + 0.25·LQT COURSE SIGNATURE, RECOMMENDED GRADE, EXAM, AND MAKE-UP OPTIONS Course signature: summary of requirements A course signature is granted if all of the following conditions are met: MT1 ≥ 2 and MT2 ≥ 2 (the two theoretical midterm tests) min(LR1, LR2, LR3, LR4, LR5) ≥ 2 (each required lab report is at least satisfactory) LQT ≥ 2 (laboratory qualification test / lab midterm is at least satisfactory) Recommended grade (no exam required) If both theoretical midterm tests are at least satisfactory and the laboratory grade (LG) is at least satisfactory, the student is not required to take the exam and may receive a recommended course grade (RG). The recommended course grade is calculated as a weighted average of the theory grade and the laboratory grade: RG = 0.5·TG + 0.5·LG where RG is rounded to the nearest integer according to standard rounding rules. Signature replacement exam (SRE) If the student does not meet the course signature requirements due to the theoretical component, they may take a signature replacement exam (SRE) during the first week of the exam period. The SRE is an in-person written exam and may include test questions, short essays, definitions, and calculation problems. No aids are permitted. After successfully completing the SRE and obtaining the course signature, the student may register for and take the regular exam as described in the Exam section. In this case, a recommended grade is no longer available. For the laboratory component, the laboratory qualification test and/or missing or insufficient lab reports may be completed within the framework of the SRE, under the conditions described in the Laboratory section (see “Lab Reports”). A student may take only one SRE per course per semester. Registration and payment of the applicable fee by the AER deadline are the student’s responsibility. If both the theoretical and laboratory components require signature replacement, they must be completed within the same SRE, since only one SRE is permitted. Exam grade (colloquium) If the student does not qualify for a recommended grade but has obtained the course signature and takes the exam, the exam result becomes the final course grade. In this case, the laboratory grade is not averaged into the exam grade; the laboratory component contributes only to eligibility for the course signature. Exam retake and grade improvement A failed exam may be retaken in accordance with the AER. A passed exam may be retaken once for grade improvement, in accordance with the AER, if the student seeks a higher grade.

Exam Types:

Compulsory bibliography: LITERATURE Required literature: Gröller Gy – Kalmár E: Electrical Industry Materials Knowledge Notes ( Moodle ) Moodle Curriculum Recommended literature: Electrical Materials Knowledge (Editors: Bertalan Pélyi and Béla Szabó), Technical Publishing House Budapest, 1978 Callister , WD Jr. , & Rethwisch , DG (2018). Materials Science and Engineering : An Introduction (10th ed .). John Wiley & Sons . ISBN 978-1-119-40549-8. Shackelford , JF (2015). Introduction lake Materials Science for Engineers (8th ed .). Pearson . ISBN 978-0-13-382665-4

Recommended bibliography:

Additional bibliography:

Additional Information: