The purpose of this paper is to propose a practical and simple framework of engineering employability skills that will allow the concept to be explained easily and that can be used as a framework for working with engineering graduates to develop their employability before entering workforce. The framework was developed from existing researches on engineering employability skills issues and the requirement of the accreditation of engineering programme. The various skills of employability skills related to engineering included in the framework are discussed and their criteria justified bases on literature review of existing studies. The framework sets out exactly what is meant by engineering employability, in clear and simple terms, and the framework suggests directions for interaction between the various skills. The relationships between the skills within the framework remain theoretical. Further research to test the framework is planned and will be reported in future paper. The framework can be used to explain the concept of employability to those new to the subject, and particularly to engineering students and their future employer. It will be a useful tool for lecturers, careers advisors, trainers, employers and any other practitioners involved in employability skills. It will also be used to develop a model and a measurement tool for engineering employability skills. This paper contributes insights into the linking of graduate attributes, using national accreditation criteria and the framework of engineering employability skills from locally and globally expectation. It will be of value to anybody with an interest in employability issues.

Thixoforming is a forming process that shapes metal components in their semisolid state. Prior to forming, the microstructure of the alloy consists preferably of solid metal spheroids in a liquid matrix, which can be difficult to achieve with hot-worked, high alloy steels prone to strong microsegregation bands. A high performance HP9/4/30 steel has been assessed for thixoformability through a direct remelting route. Partial remelting was carried out between 1430 and 1470 o C. Liquation occurred initially at grain boundaries, then also along the segregation bands. With increasing time and hold temperature, these "columns" broke down into shorter, more equiaxed segments, offering more chance of being thixoformed. Successful thixoforming producing netshape demonstrator parts was achieved at processing temperatures in the range of 1470 -1480°C, which corresponds to approximately 50 to 80% liquid (based on Differential Thermal Analysis). A thin solid skin, formed on the surface of the slug as a result of heat loss, had prevented the slug from collapsing. The resulting thixoformed products are discussed in relation to their load-displacement signals.

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Semisolid metal (SSM) processing or thixoforming is widely known as a technology that involves the formation of metal alloys between solidus and liquidus temperatures. For the procedure to operate successfully, the microstructure of the starting material must consist of solid near-globular grains surrounded by a liquid matrix and a wide solidus-to-liquidus transition area. Currently, this process is industrially successful, generating a variety of products with high quality parts in various industrial sectors. Throughout the years since its inception, a number of technologies to produce the appropriate globular microstructure have been developed and applied worldwide. The main aim of this paper is to classify the presently available SSM technologies and present a comprehensive review of the potential mechanisms that lead to microstructural alterations during the preparation of feedstock materials for SSM processing.

This paper presents the computational-based ballistic limit of laminated metal panels comprised of high strength steel and aluminium alloy Al7075-T6 plate at different thickness combinations to necessitate the weight reduction of existing armour steel plate. The numerical models of monolithic configuration, double-layered configuration and triple-layered configuration were developed using a commercial explicit finite element code and were impacted by 7.62 mm armour piercing projectile at velocity range of 900 to 950 m/s. The ballistic performance of each configuration plate in terms of ballistic limit velocity, penetration process and permanent deformation was quantified and considered. It was found that the monolithic panel of high-strength steel has the best ballistic performance among all panels, yet it has not caused any weight reduction in existing armour plate. As the weight reduction was increased from 20-30%, the double-layered configuration panels became less resistance to ballistic impact where only at 20% and 23.2% of weight reduction panel could stop the 950m/s projectile. The triple-layered configuration panels with similar areal density performed much better where all panels subjected to 20-30% weight reductions successfully stopped the 950 m/s projectile. Thus, triple-layered configurations are interesting option in designing a protective structure without sacrificing the performance in achieving weight reduction. Keywords Ballistic impact; ballistic limit; double-layered plate; numerical simulation; triple-layered plate N.A. Rahman et al. / Ballistic Limit of High-Strength Steel and Al7075-T6 Multi-Layered Plates Under 7.62-mm Armour Piercing…

Semisolid metal processing (SSM) or thixoforming is a new technology that offers several advantages over liquid processing and solid processing. is process utilizes semisolid behavior as well as reduces macrosegregation, porosity, and forming forces during shaping process. A lot of research work has been carried out by various researchers in order to exploit the potential of this process to produce different products especially for automotive industry. is paper will summarise the rheological behavior of aluminium alloys in semisolid slurries, thixoformability of modi�ed aluminium alloys, the effect of feedstock production method on mechanical properties, and the importance of developing low-cost raw materials for semisolid processing.

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