Course syllabus for Sustainable product development

Course syllabus adopted 2019-02-20 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameHållbar produktutveckling
  • CodeMEN127
  • Credits3.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKMAS
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyEnergy and Environmental Systems and Technology, Mechanical Engineering
  • ThemeEnvironment 3.5 c
  • DepartmentINDUSTRIAL AND MATERIALS SCIENCE
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 55113
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0119 Examination 3.5 c
Grading: TH		 3.5 c
  • 16 Mar 2021 pm J
  • 08 Jun 2021 pm J
  • 24 Aug 2021 pm J

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

The course is directly based on the course Engineering Materials and the course Materials and manufacturing engineering or similar.

Aim

The course aims at basic understanding of product development considering sustainability aspects, generally applicable on the field of mechanical engineering. Basic parts of the course deals with environmentally adapted product development and sustainability, and also with methods for implementation of such considerations into product development processes.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

a) explain the concept of sustainable development and reflect on ethical aspects in this context, private as well as professional
b) describe cause- effect chains for known environmental problems such as the eutrophication, acidification and the green-house effect
c) perform basic environmental and sustainability assessments with a systems analysis approach with methods and models such as life-cycle assessment, DPSIR and I = PAT d) describe and use general methods for sustainable product development
e) select and use appropriate basic information for assessment of the environmental effect and sustainability of products and manufacturing

Content

Considerations to sustainability aspects in product development are a strongly increasing concern in industry. Substantial efforts are devoted to reducing environmental loads and negative social effects of production systems. The need for new understanding as well as new practices is great. Strong development within the field has, however, led to a large amount of new information, in some cases implying a great variety of alternative solutions, at the expense of clarity in engineering measures. The course starts by dealing with general aspects of environment and sustainable development, with emphasis on global perspectives. System models and tools are introduced, such as life cycle assessment and multi-criteria analysis, for assessing influences on the environment and sustainable development of products and processes. In the following part, different strategies and methods are dealt with for introducing environmental and sustainability aspects into product development. Important parts here are the alternatives for waste products and the implications of that for product development, and the implications of materials selection and manufacturing processes applied. The course also includes methods for balancing the functional performance and the environmental effect of products.

Organisation

The course consists of 14 lectures (per two lecture hours) and 8 tutorials.

Literature

The course literature consists of the book Material and the Environment - Eco-Informed Materials Choice¿ by Michael F Asby, Butterford-Heinemann, Oxford 2009, ISBN 978-1-8517-608-8, also a compendium of exercises and some complementary literature. Additional literature may be announced at the start of the course.

Examination including compulsory elements

Written examination