Technology & Engineering
Materials Selection
Materials selection is the process of choosing the most suitable materials for a specific engineering application. It involves considering factors such as mechanical properties, cost, availability, and environmental impact to ensure that the chosen materials meet the requirements of the design. This process is crucial for achieving optimal performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness in engineering projects.
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11 Key excerpts on "Materials Selection"
eBook - ePubInformatics for Materials Science and Engineering
Data-driven Discovery for Accelerated Experimentation and Application
- Krishna Rajan(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Butterworth-Heinemann(Publisher)
Chapter 10Materials Selection for Engineering Design
Michael Ashby* , Elizabeth Cope† and David Cebon‡ ,* Emeritus Professor, Cambridge University Engineering Department, Cambridge, UK,† Granta Design Limited, Cambridge, UK,‡ Cambridge University Engineering Department, Cambridge, UK1 Introduction
Material properties limit product performance. For optimized, innovative engineering design, we need systematic procedures and informatics to select them. This is about more than just ranking materials according to a particular material property, but about assessing the entire profile of properties that will maximize performance – performance, here, meaning technical excellence at acceptable cost and minimum environmental intrusion.Figure 10.1 A systematic material selection strategy.2 Systematic Selection
2.1 Translation
Any engineering component has one or more functions : To support a load, to contain a pressure, to transmit heat, and so forth. This must be achieved subject to constraints : That certain dimensions are fixed; that the component must carry the design loads without failure or excessive deflection; the need to insulate against or to conduct heat or electricity; to function in a certain range of temperature or in a given environment; and many more.In designing the component, the designer has one or more objectives : To make it as cheap as possible, perhaps, or as light, or as environmentally benign, or some combination of these. Certain parameters can be adjusted in order to optimize the objective – the designer is free to vary dimensions that are not constrained by design requirements and, most importantly, free to choose the material for the component and the process to shape it. We refer to these as free variables
eBook - PDFProduct Development
A Structured Approach to Design and Manufacture
- Anil Mital, Anoop Desai, Anand Subramanian, Aashi Mital(Authors)
- 2011(Publication Date)
- Butterworth-Heinemann(Publisher)
Sometimes, the designers tend to focus only on the cost aspect of materials and manufacturing and select a combination of materials and processes that lead to products of substandard quality and reduced operating life. In the long run, this not only leads to reduced brand loyalty for the product but, in many cases, to huge financial losses as a result of litigations and product liability lawsuits. The already difficult task of satisfying engineering and commercial requirements imposed on the design of a product becomes even more difficult with the addition of legislated environmental requirements. A vital cog in this product design wheel is the materials engineer. The optimal selection of material used to construct or make the product should lead to optimum properties and the least overall cost of materials, ease of fabrication or manufacturability of the component or structure, and environmentally friendly materials. Figure 5.1 shows the various stages of the design process with their associated activities. The material selection process consists of the property, process, and environmental profiles concur-rently considered at each phase of design. What happens if the material selection is not considered during each stage of the design decision process? The designer would be unaware of any problems about the availability of the final material, the costs associated with the manufacturing processes, 93 94 Consideration and Selection of Materials or the processability of the product to be manufactured. Consider a designer who needs to design a product but has no idea of the material from which to make it. Suppose the designer designs the product considering it to be a metallic, but management decides to make it of ceramics at a later stage. The processing of a ceramic product is entirely different from that of a metallic product. Ceramic and metallic products vary in structure, strength properties, manufacturability, and so on.
eBook - ePubThermoplastic Material Selection
A Practical Guide
- Eric R. Larson(Author)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- William Andrew(Publisher)
Then, as one begins to evaluate materials, one must consider chemical families, grades, versions, property data (and/or the lack thereof), testing and verification, agency approvals, sourcing and supply chain issues, and proper processing. Sadly, many engineers and designers short circuit the selection process by jumping immediately into property data, combing databases and material data sheets to find the highest value of one specific property in order to determine the best material for the application.However, material selection is not about finding the “best” possible material for an application. Rather, it is about finding one or more suitable materials that—in combination with an effective design, proper processing, and eventual integration into a final system—result in a product that meets its intended use and satisfies (and hopefully delights) the needs of the end user. Far too often, in our quest to find the best material, we often forget that the real goal is to make the best possible product.The ultimate goal of effective material selection is to optimize the performance of the product itself. While this may seem like a trivial statement, it is an important one.5.1. What is Performance?
Performance is another one of those words that has a number of different meanings. In engineering, it is commonly used to describe the function of a system and how well it achieves its intended purpose.When we talk about product performance, we are referring to an overall assessment of a product based on an evaluation of a number of measured parameters. For example, for an automobile we may measure acceleration, handling on the road, cornering, roominess of the interior, the sound levels while driving, and riding comfort. The performance criteria for a race car will be distinctly different than for a family sedan, or for a sports coupe. For sports equipment we may measure weight, stiffness, handling at high speed, vibration characteristics, the feel in our hands, as well as output at specific loading conditions (e.g., the launch angle and spin rate of a golf ball when struck by the clubhead of a driver at a specific head velocity). For a medical device we may measure the reliability and consistency of its operation under a wide variety of use scenarios, including mis-use (unintended or intentional).
eBook - PDF- Harry Cather, Richard Douglas Morris, Mathew Philip, Chris Rose(Authors)
- 2001(Publication Date)
- Newnes(Publisher)
5 Materials Selection Summary The design process for any product will involve many people with skills from CAD to manufacturing. The materials engineer has a central role in this process although he or she can sometimes be neglected or contacted as an afterthought. In this chapter, we will begin by looking at the role of the materials engineer and then proceed to identify the functions of the product. Once the functions have been defined, the properties required of a material can be identified and the search for suitable materials can begin. We will look at the external pressures on the product designer, coming from the manufacturer, the user and the environment. Some methods for narrowing down the choice of materials will be considered, as will strategies for combining material properties. From Section 5.2 onwards, we will look at detailed properties of common engineering metals. The effect of composition and heat treatment on the properties of materials needs to be understood so that best use can be made of materials. It will also help to avoid costly mistakes being made. Objectives By the end of this chapter, you should be able to: identify the functions of a product; extract property criteria for materials; develop clear strategies for selecting materials; understand the nature of materials and the influence of composition and heat treatment on their properties. 5.1 Role of the materials engineer Products can be classed in the following way: New products developed to meet a completely new market, such as the personal computer, the mobile phone and even the surfboard – new technology will dominate the product but there may be a need to convince the customer of its value. Materials Selection 191 Existing products redeveloped for a changing market or function, such as the car or telephone – new technology will be used to upgrade the function but with a great deal of competition; the product cost will dictate its viability.
- Michael F. Ashby, Robert W. Messler, Rajiv Asthana, Edward P. Furlani, R. E. Smallman, A.H.W. Ngan, R. J Crawford, Nigel Mills(Authors)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- Butterworth-Heinemann(Publisher)
Section Two Materials Selection Section Two Section Two Section Two Section Two Section Two 49 This page is intentionally left blank 2.1 Chapter 2.1 Materials Selection 2.1.1 Introduction and synopsis This chapter sets out the basic procedure for selection, establishing the link between material and function ( Figure 2.1-1 ). A material has attributes : its density, strength, cost, resistance to corrosion, and so forth. A design demands a certain profile of these: a low density, a high strength, a modest cost and resistance to sea water, perhaps. It is important to start with the full menu of materials in mind; failure to do so may mean a missed opportunity. If an innovative choice is to be made, it must be identified early in the design process. Later, too many decisions have been taken and commitments made to allow radical change: it is now or never. The task, restated in two lines, is that of (1) identifying the desired attribute profile and then (2) comparing it with those of real engineering materials to find the best match. The first step in tackling it is that of translation , exam-ining the design requirements to identify the constraints that they impose on material choice. The immensely wide choice is narrowed, first, by screening-out the materials that cannot meet the constraints. Further narrowing is achieved by ranking the candidates by their ability to maximize performance. Criteria for screening and ranking are derived from the design requirements for a component by an analysis of function, constraints, objectives , and free variables . This chapter explains how to do it. The materials property charts introduced in Chapter 4 are designed for use with these criteria. Property Function Process Shape Material Material families, classes, sub-classes and members Material attributes Material limits and indices Figure 2.1-1 Material selection is determined by function.
- J. T. Black, Ronald A. Kohser(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
Designers now select from steel, alu- minum, and polymeric sheet molding compounds and may use adhesive bonding to produce the joints. The listing of available engineering materials now includes metals and alloys, ceramics, plastics, elastomers, glasses, con- crete, composite materials, and others. It is not surprising, therefore, that a single person might have difficulty making the necessary decisions concerning the materials in even a simple manufactured product. More frequently, the design engineer or design team will work in conjunction with various materials specialists to select the materials that will be needed to con- vert conceptual designs into tomorrow’s reality. 9.2 Material Selection and Manufacturing Processes The interdependence between materials and their processing must also be recognized. New processes frequently accompany new materials, and their implementation can often cut produc- tion costs and improve product quality. A change in material may well require a change in the manufacturing process. Conversely, improvements in processes may enable a reevalu- ation of the materials being processed. Improper processing of a well-chosen material can definitely result in a defective product. If satisfactory products are to be made, consider- able care must be exercised in selecting both the engineering materials and the manufacturing processes used to produce the product. Most textbooks on materials and manufacturing processes spend considerable time discussing the interrelationships between the structure and properties of engineering materi- als, the processes used to produce a product, and the subse- quent performance. As Figure 9.3 attempts to depict, each of these aspects is directly related to all the others. An engineer- ing material may possess different properties depending on its structure. Processing of that material can alter the struc- ture, which in turn will alter the properties.
eBook - PDFProduct Design for the Environment
A Life Cycle Approach
- Fabio Giudice, Guido La Rosa, Antonino Risitano(Authors)
- 2006(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
As shown in the case study presented, the results can then be evaluated using multiobjective analysis techniques. 12.1 Materials Selection and Environmental Properties “New materials inspire designers; but even more, design drives material development” (Ashby, 2001). This statement highlights the close connection between materials and the design activity, confirmed by the significance of the issues related to the efficient integration of Materials Selection in the product development process (Edwards, 2003; Lu and Deng, 2004). The enormous variety of materials available for engineering applications and the complexity of the requirements conditioning the choice of the most appro-priate materials and processes lead to a taxing problem of multiple-criterion optimization (Brechet et al., 2001). In recent years, several systematic methods have been proposed to help the designer in the selection of materials and processes (Charles et al., 1997; Farag, 1997; Asbhy et al., 2004). Of the more com-monly used quantitative selection methods, that developed by Ashby is based on the definition of material indices consisting of sets of physical–mechanical properties which, when optimized, maximize certain performance aspects of the component under examination (Ashby and Cebon, 1995). Defining these indices makes it possible to compile selection charts summarizing the relations between properties of materials and engineering requirements (Ashby, 1999). Usually taking into consideration the physical-mechanical properties of materials, these selection charts can be extended to introduce some environ-mental properties (Navin-Chandra, 1991).
eBook - PDF- Lokesh Pandey(Author)
- 2023(Publication Date)
- Arcler Press(Publisher)
Engineering material is described as: “A topic that deals with the manufacture, qualities, and applications of materials utilized in applied engineering.” 5.1. INTRODUCTION Engineering materials range in weight from lightweight to heavyweight. Alloys for aircraft, Semiconductor chips for computers, Photovoltaic for energy storage, Semiconductor scanners, and so on. Material means engineering materials, limited to solid materials only. Science refers to the branch of applied science which deals with investigation of the relationship existing between the structure of materials and their properties. Materials differ from one another because of the difference in their properties for example, gold differs from iron because of its color, density, and corrosion resistance, among other things. Property differences occur owing to variations in material structure. All solid materials are made up of a huge number of molecules that are linked together to create the bulk substance. Each molecule is made up of microscopic particles known as atoms. The qualities and structure of a material are determined by the individual properties of atoms and their order in the molecule. A design engineer’s understanding of materials and their characteristics is critical. The machine elements should be built of a material that is suitable for the operating circumstances. A design engineer must also be knowledgeable about the impact of manufacturing techniques and heat treatment on the characteristics of materials (Figure 5.1). Engineering Materials and Their Applications 129 Figure 5.1. Image showing engineering material. Source: Image by archdaily.com. We will explore the most often used engineering materials and their qualities in this section. Metallurgy is the science and technique of economically extracting metals from their ores, purifying them, and preparing them for use. It investigates the microstructure of a metal, the structural details that may be observed under a microscope.
- J. T. Black, Ronald A. Kohser(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
2 In the production design stage, we look to full produc- tion and determine if the proposed solution is compatible with production speeds and quantities. Can the parts be processed economically, and will they be of the desired quality? As actual manufacturing begins, changes in both the materials and pro- cesses may be suggested. Changes made after the tooling and machinery have been placed in production; however, they tend to be quite costly. Good upfront material selection and thorough product evaluation can do much to eliminate the need for change. As production continues, the availability of new materials and new processes may present possibilities for cost reduc- tion or improved performance. Before adopting new materials, however, the candidates should be evaluated very carefully to ensure that all their characteristics related to both processing and performance are well established. It is indeed rare that as much is known about the properties and reliability of a new material as an established one. Numerous product failures and product liability cases have resulted from new materials being utilized before their long-term properties were fully known. 9.4 Approaches to Material Selection The selection of an appropriate material and its subsequent conversion into a useful product with desired shape and proper- ties can be a rather complex process. As depicted in Figure 9.4, nearly every engineered item goes through a sequence of activities: Design Material selection Process selection Manufacture or fabrication Evaluation and Feedback Manufacture involves both the production of the desired shape and the establishment of the required properties. Feed- back can involve redesign or modification at one or more of the preceding steps. Numerous engineering decisions must be made at each of the steps, and several iterations may be necessary. Several methods have been developed for approaching a design and selection problem.
eBook - PDFEngineering Fundamentals
An Introduction to Engineering, SI Edition
- Saeed Moaveni(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Cengage Learning EMEA(Publisher)
All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. CHAPTER 17 Engineering Materials 686 A s we discussed in Chapter 1, engineers design millions of products and services that we use in our everyday lives: cars, computers, aircraft, clothing, toys, home appliances, surgical equipment, heating and cooling equipment, health care devices, tools, and machines that make various products. Engineers also design and supervise the construction of buildings, dams, high- ways, power plants, and mass transit systems. As design engineers, whether you are designing a machine part, a toy, a frame for a car, or a structure, the selection of material is an important design decision. There are a number of factors that engineers consider when selecting a material for a specific application. For example, they consider properties of materials such as density, ultimate strength, flexibility, machinability, durabil- ity, thermal expansion, electrical and thermal conductivity, and resistance to corrosion. They also consider the cost of the material and how easily it can be repaired. Engineers are always searching for ways to use advanced materials to make products lighter and stronger for different applications. In this chapter, we will look more closely at materials that are commonly used in various engineering applications. We will also discuss some of the basic physical characteristics of materials that are considered in design. We will exam- ine solid materials like metals and their alloys, plastics, glass, and wood, and those that solidify over time (such as concrete).
- A.A. Collyer(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- Elsevier Science(Publisher)
2.5 Materials Selection Before going through a detailed Materials Selection it is essential to find out if someone else has made the same or a similar product before and, if so, what material was used. If such a product has been made, it is necessary to check whether it was successful and, if so, whether better grades or newer materials could now be used. If it was not successful, or no similar product exists, then the following factors must be considered: • physical properties, • thermal properties, • environmental properties, • electrical properties, • optical properties, • radiation resistance, • durability, • cost, • processability, • dimensional stability, • availability (at least two unrelated suppliers are necessary). One should start by listing the essential requirements of the materials, including processability by the chosen route, continuous service temperature, toughness, transparency (for optical parts), stiffness, strength, cost and particular requirements demanded by the application. If a material fails on only one count but is very good in others, the designer should consult the manufacturer or the supplier to see if there is a more specialized grade of the material that has not been considered. This process should produce a manageable list of candidate materials. The best technique of dealing with these is to rank the relative importance of the chosen criteria. If a particular property is of paramount importance to the application it is weighted 10, if it is unimportant it is weighted 0. In this way each of the product requirements are weighted. The value of the material properties must be weighted from 0 to 10, such that a high property value is assigned a high mark. (If a high property value is undesirable, the weighting factor should be made negative).
Index pages curate the most relevant extracts from our library of academic textbooks. They’ve been created using an in-house natural language model (NLM), each adding context and meaning to key research topics.
