GATE 2023 Metallurgy Subject Wise Weightage, Best Books

GATE Metallurgical Engineering Section

Engineering Mathematics- Section 1

Calculus: Maxima and minima; Limit, Continuity and Differentiability; Partial derivatives; Sequences and series; Test for convergence; Fourier series.

Linear Algebra: Systems of linear equations, Matrices and Determinants, Eigen values and Eigen vectors.

Differential Equations: Higher order linear ODEs with constant coefficients; Linear and non-linear first order ODEs; Cauchy’s and Euler’s equations; one dimensional heat and wave equations,  Laplace transforms; PDEs –Laplace,

Numerical Methods: integration by trapezoidal and Simpson’s rule; Solutions of linear and non-linear (Bisection, Secant, Newton- Raphson methods) algebraic equations;  single and multi-step methods for differential equations.

Vector Calculus: Gradient; Stokes, Gauss and Green’s theorems, Divergence and Curl; Line, Surface and volume integrals

Probability and Statistics: Mean, median, mode and standard deviation; Analysis of experimental data; linear least squares method, Definitions of probability and sampling theorems, conditional probability, Random variables; Poisson, normal and binomial distributions; 

Metallurgical Thermodynamics- Section 2

Electrochemistry: Electrochemical cells, Single electrode potential, Nernst equation, Potential-pH diagrams.

Laws of thermodynamics:Enthalpy, Gibbs and Helmholtz free energy; Maxwell’s relations; Chemical potential;  First law – energy conservation, Second law – entropy; Gibbs phase rule, phase equilibria, binary phase diagram and lever rule, free-energy vs. composition diagrams; Applications to metallurgical systems, solutions, ideal and regular solutions; Equilibrium constant, Activity, Ellingham and phase stability diagrams; Thermodynamics of point defects, surfaces and interfaces, adsorption and segregation phenomena.

Transport Phenomena and Rate Processes- Section 3

Heat transfer: Fourier’s Law, 1-D steady state conduction, Conduction,

Momentum transfer: Mechanical energy balance equation, Concept of viscosity, shell balances, Bernoulli’s equation, flow past plane surfaces and through pipes.

Convection: Heat transfer coefficient relations for forced convection.

Mass transfer: Mass transfer coefficients, Diffusion and Fick’s laws

Radiation: Black body radiation, Kirchhoff’s Law, Stefan-Boltzman Law, 

Dimensional analysis: Significance of dimensionless numbers, Buckingham Pi theorem

Electrochemical kinetics: Polarization.

Basic laws of chemical kinetics: reaction rate constant, Arrhenius relation, First order reactions, heterogeneous reactions, oxidation kinetics.

Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy- Section 4

Material and Energy balances in metallurgical processes; Principles and processes for the extraction of non- ferrous metals – aluminium, copper and titanium.

Comminution techniques:Gravity and other methods of mineral beneficiation;  Size classification, Flotation, Agglomeration: sintering, pelletizing and briquetting.

Iron and steel making: Structure and properties of slags and molten salts – basicity of slags – sulphide and phosphate capacity of slags; Material and heat balance in blast furnace; Production of metallurgical coke.

Primary steel making: Process dynamics, Basic oxygen furnace, oxidation reactions, electric arc furnace.

Other methods of iron making (COREX, MIDRE)

Continuous Casting: Fluid flow in the tundish and mould, heat transfer in the mould, segregation, inclusion control.

Secondary steel making: argon stirring, Ladle process – deoxidation, desulphurization, principles of degassing methods; inclusion shape control, Basics of stainless steel manufacturing.

Physical Metallurgy- Section 5

X-ray Diffraction – optical metallography, principles of SEM imaging, Bragg’s law,

Chemical Bonding: Ionic, covalent, metallic, and secondary bonding in materials, Crystal structure of solids – metals and alloys, ionic and covalent solids, and polymers.

Crystal Imperfections: Coherent, semi-coherent and incoherent interfaces, Point, line and surface defects; 

Phase transformation: Driving force, Homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation, growth kinetics.

Diffusion in solids: Diffusion equation, steady state and error function solutions; Examples- homogenenization and carburization; Kirkendall effect; Uphill diffusion; Atomic models for interstitial and substitutional diffusion; Pipe diffusion and grain boundary diffusion.

Solidification in isomorphous, eutectic and peritectic systems, cast structures and macrosegregation, dendritic solidification and constitutional supercooling, coring and microsegregation.

Principles of heat treatment of steels, Recovery, recrystallization and grain growth; TTT and CCT diagrams; Surface hardening treatments; Heat treatment of cast iron and aluminium alloys.

Solid state transformations: Precipitate coarsening, Gibbs-Thomson effect,  Precipitation, spinoidal decomposition, ordering, massive transformation, discontinuous precipitation, eutectoid transformation, diffusionless transformations

Electronic, magnetic and optical properties of materials.

Basic forms of corrosion and its prevention.

Mechanical Metallurgy- Section 6 

Dislocation theory: Edge, screw and mixed dislocations, source and multiplication of dislocations, stress fields

around dislocations; Partial dislocations, dislocation interactions and reactions.

Strain tensor and stress tensor, Representation by Mohr’s circle, elasticity, stiffness and compliance tensor, Yield criteria, Plastic deformation by slip and twinning.

Strengthening mechanisms: Work/strain hardening, strengthening due to grain boundaries, solid solution, precipitation and dispersion.

Fatigue: Cyclic stress strain behaviour – low and high cycle fatigue, crack growth.

Fracture behaviour, fracture toughness,  Griffith theory, linear elastic fracture mechanics, fractography, ductile to brittle transition.

Mechanisms of high temperature deformation and failure; creep and stress rupture, stress exponent and activation energy.

Manufacturing Processes- Section 7

Hot, warm and cold working of metals: Metal forming – fundamentals of metal forming processes of rolling, forging, extrusion, wire drawing and sheet metal forming, defects in forming.

Metal casting: Mould design involving feeding, gating and risering, casting practices, casting defects.

Metal joining: Principles of soldering, brazing and welding, welding metallurgy, defects in welded joints in steels and aluminium alloys.

Non-destructive Testing (NDT): Dye-penetrant, ultrasonic, radiography, eddy current, acoustic emission and magnetic particle inspection methods.

Powder metallurgy: production of powders, compaction and sintering