Materials Selection in Design

The Role of Materials Selection in Design

Exploring relationships - Materials Property Charts
The Materials Selection Process Design Models
Selecting materials Materials Indices
Case Studies of Materials Selection using CES

The Role of Materials Selection in Design

The Role of Materials Selection in Design

Materials selection is a central aspect of design
In many cases materials represent the enabling step
Number of available materials exceeds 100,000
Concurrent engineering has re-emphasized the role of materials.

Why Materials Selection?Materials selection is design-led

New products.
Remain competitive

Factors/Criteria?

Function
Mechanical
Properties Failure
Mode

Properties of new materials can

suggest new products (optical fiber
high purity glass).

Manufacturability
Cost

Optical Fiber

Environmental
Considerations

The need for a new product can stimulate the development of a

new material

Increase in operational temperature of turbine components. After Schulz et

al, Aero. Sci. Techn.7:2003, p73-80. Y-PSZ (Ytria - Partially Stabilized
Zirconia)

Some Material Properties

Physical

Density
Melting point
Vapor pressure
Viscosity
Porosity
Permeability
Reflectivity

Transparency
Optical properties
Dimensional stability

Chemical

Corrosion
Oxidation
Thermal stability
Biological stability
Stress Corrosion
.
Electrical
Conductivity
Dielectric coonstant
Coersive force
Hysteresis
Thermal
Conductivity
Specific Heat
Thermal expansion
Emissivity

Mechanical
Hardness
Elastic constants
Yield strength
Ultimate strength
Fatigue
Fracture Toughness
Creep
Damping
Wear resistance
Spalling
Ballistic performance
.

The goal of design:

To create products that perform their function effectively, safely,
at acceptable cost.. What do we need to know about materials
to do this? More than just test data.

http://www.matweb.com/

Materials Data - Organization

The set of properties for a particular material is called the material

attributes, which includes both structured and non-structured
information on the material materials selection involves seeking the
best match between the design requirements and the materials attributes.

Interactions
Process

Material

Shape

Functionality

Materials Selection Methodology

Translate the design requirements into materials specifications. It
should take into consideration the design objectives, constraints and
free variables.
Screening out of materials that fail the design constraints.
Ranking the materials by their ability to meet the objectives.
(Material Indices).
Search for supporting information for the material candidates.

1. Defining the Design requirements

Function

Objective

Constraint

"What does
component do?"

"What is to be maximized "What specific requirements

or minimized?"
must be met?"

Any engineering
component has
one or more
functions (to
support a load, to
contain a pressure,
to transmit heat,
etc.).

The designer has an

objective (to make it
as cheap as possible,
or as light as possible,
or as safe as possible
or some combination
of these).

The objective must be

achieved subject to
constraints (e.g. the
dimensions are fixed; the
component must carry the
given load without failure, it
should function in a certain
temperature range, etc.

Free variables: What is the designer free to change?

2. List the constraints (e.g. no buckling, high stiffness) of the

problem and develop an equation for them, if possible.
3. Develop an equation of the design objective in terms of functional
requirements, geometry and materials properties (objective
function).
4. Define the unconstrained (free) variables.
5. Substitute the free variable from the constraint equation into the
objective function.
6. Group the variables into three groups, functional requirements (F),
geometry (G) and materials functions (M), to develop the
performance metric (P):

7. Read off the materials index, M, in order to maximize the

performance metric (P).

Materials Selection Charts

The performance metric of a design is limited by the materials.
Performance metric is a function of multiple properties f(multiple
properties)
Charts Property 1 versus Property 2 (P1 vs P2)
It can be plotted for classes and subclasses of materials (Classes:
metals, ceramics, polymers, composites) (Sub-Classes: engineering
ceramics, porous ceramics etc.)
Combinations of properties are important in evaluating usefulness
of materials.
Strength to Weight Ratio: f/
Stiffness to Weight Ratio: E/
The properties have ranges
E(Cu) = few % (purity, texture, etc.)
Strength of Al2O3 can vary by a factor of 100 due to (porosity,
grain size, heat treatment, etc.)

Modulus vs density

Speed of Sound in a solid,

Density depends on

Atomic weight
Atom size
Packing
Porosity

Elastic modulus
depends on:
Bond stiffness
# bonds per unit area.
Which one to choose?
Depends on the Performance Metrics

v=

(E )

Material Indices
Material Indices (MI) are groups of material properties (including
cost) which are useful metrics for comparison of materials
Better materials have higher MIs
The form of the MI depends on the functional requirements (F) and
geometry (G).

Materials Indices
Materials indices are specific functions derived from design
equations that involve only materials properties that can be used in
conjunction with materials selection charts
e.g. strong, light tie rod in tensionminimize /y
e.g. stiff, light beam in bending minimize /E1/2
e.g. stiff, light panel in bending -minimize /E1/3

Derivation of MIs
The derivation of the MI will be illustrated by examples:

Example 1: Strong and light tie-rod

Function
Objective
Constraints

Free Variables

Tie-rod
Minimize mass

m = AL
F
y
A

The length (L) is specified

Must not fail under load
Must have adequate fracture toughness

Materials choice
Section Area (A) eliminate using above equations

m = AL = FL

y

Minimize mass , hence, choose

materials with smallest

Example 2: Stiff and light beam

Function

Beam of solid square

section

Objective

Minimize mass

Constraints

m = b L
2

Max

FL3
=
48 EI

F = ( Stiffness ) Max

The beam must be stiff,

i.e. small deflection (C is
CEI C1 Eb 4
Stiffness _ S = 3 =
a constant)
L
L3

Free Variables Materials choice

Dimension b eliminate using above equations
1
2

SL
SL
L =

m =
C1 E
C1
3

1
2
E

Minimize mass , choose

materials with smallest

Example 3: Stiff, light panel

Panel with given
Function
width (w) and
length (L)
Objective Minimize mass
Constraints

Free Variables
1
3

m = twL
t = thickness
F = ( Stiffness ) Max

The panel must be stiff,

i.e. small deflection (C is
a constant)

CEwt
Stiffness _ S =
3
L

Materials choice
Dimension t eliminate using above equations

SL
SL w
wL =
m =
CEw
C
3

1
3
E

Minimize mass , choose

materials with smallest

Derivation of MIs: Methodology

Demystifying Material Indices

Using Materials Indices with Materials Selection Charts

Commonly used Materials Indices (MIs)

The nature of material data

z

Numeric:

properties measured by
numbers:
density, modulus, cost
other properties

Can extrude?
Good or bad
in sea water?

Non-numeric: properties measured by

yes - no (Boolean) or
poor-average-good type (Rankings)

Supporting information,
specific: what is the experience with the

Design
guide
lines

Supplier
information

Case
studies

FE modules

Failure
analyses
Standards
and codes
(ISO 14000)

material?

Established
applications

Sector-specific
approval
(FDA, MilSpec)

Supporting information,
general: what else do you need to know?
z

Structured and Unstructured data

Handbooks,
data sheets
U it 1 F

18

Reports, papers,
the Web

Other Materials Selection Charts

Modulus-Relative Cost
Strength-Relative Cost
Modulus-Strength
Specific Modulus-Specific
Strength
Fracture ToughnessModulus
Fracture ToughnessStrength
Loss Coefficient-Modulus

Facture Toughness-Density
Conductivity-Diffusivity
Expansion-Conductivity
Expansion-Modulus
Strength-Expansion
Strength Temperature
Wear Rate-Hardness
Environmental Attack Chart

Summary: Material Indices

A method is necessary for translating design requirements into a
prescription for a material
Modulus-Density charts
Reveal a method of using lines of constant

E1 n

n = 1, 2,3

to allow selection of materials for minimum weight and

deflection-limited design.
Material Index
Combination of material properties which characterize
performance in a given application.
Performance of a material:
Functional Geometeric Material

,
,
p = f
Needs, F Parameters, G Characteristics, M

p = f1 ( F ) f 2 (G ) f 3 ( M )

Case 1: Materials for Table legs

Design a slender, light table legs that will support
the applied design load and will not fracture if
struck.
Column, supporting compressive loads.
Function

Objective
Constraints

Free Variables

mass:
Maximum elastic buckling load:

Minimize mass and

maximize slenderness
Specified length,
Must not buckle
Must not fracture if struck

Solving for r

Diameter of the legs

Choice of materials

The weight is minimized by selecting materials

with the greatest value of the materials index:

Inverting equation (2) gives and equation

for the thinnest legs which will not
buckle:
to yield the second materials index (maximize):
Set M1to be minimum of 5 and
M2to be greater than 100 (an
arbitrary choice it can be
modified later if a wider
choice of materials to be
screened is desired). Candidate
materials include some
ceramics, CFRP
engineering ceramics are not
tough legs are subjected to
abuse and this makes them a
bad selection for this
application
Selection = CFRP
must consult designer wrt cost
-expensive

Case 2: Materials for Flywheels

Flywheels are rotating devices that store
rotational energy in applications such as
automotive transmissions. An efficient
flywheel stores maximum energy per unit
volume/mass at a specified angular
velocity.
The kinetic energy the device can the device can store is limited store
is limited by the material by the material strength.
Function

Flywheel for energy storage.

Maximize kinetic energy per unit mass.

Mass of the disc
1 2
Kinetic energy (J is the mass moment of KE = Jw
2
inertia)
1
1
For a solid round disc J
J = mR 2
KE = mR 2 w2
around its rotation axis
2
4
Objective

The quantity to be maximized is the energy per unit

mass
Constraints

Free Variables

KE 1 2 2
= R w
m 4

The outer radius is fixed.

It must not burst.
It must have adequate toughness (crack tolerance)
Choice of materials

The maximum radial stress (principal

stress) is given by the equation:
The stress must not exceed the yield
stress:
Hence, the material index to maximize is:

r , Max

3 +
2 R 2
2 2
=
R
8
2

KE 1 y
=
m
2

y
M=

The choices are some composites (CFRP), some engineering ceramics

and high strength Ti and Al alloys
engineering ceramics eliminated due to lack of toughness
further selection must be made on the basis of cost and energy storage
capacity for specific materials
e.g. CFRP can store 400kJ/kg

Case 3: Materials for Passive Solar Heating

A simple way of storing solar energy for
residential heating is by heating the walls
during the day and transferring heat to the
interior via forced convection at night.
Need to diffuse heat from the outer to inner
surface in 12h. For architectural reasons,
the wall thickness (W) cannot exceed 0.5m
Heat storage medium
Maximize thermal energy storage per unit material cost.
Objective
Heat diffusion time through wall time (t) ~12h
Constraints
Wall thickness w<0.5m
Working temperature TMax ~ 100oC
Free Variables Wall thickness w.
Choice of materials
What material will maximize the thermal energy captured by the wall
while retaining the required heat diffusion time of up to 12h?
Function

For a wall of thickness w, the heat (Q) per unit

area of wall heated through T is given by:
For the heat diffusion distance in time t:
where is the thermal diffusivity, is the
thermal conductivity and is the density

Q = wc p T
w = 2 Dt

D=
c p

Q = 2t c p D T = 2t T

D
1

The heat capacity of the wall is maximized by choosing a

material with a high value of:
The restriction on the wall thickness (w) and diffusion
time (t) yield the constraint:
2

w
6 m 2
D
3 10
s
2t

Cost must be a significant consideration in this selection because the

application is for housing, where cost is always a significant factor.
Taking cost into consideration, the most likely choice is concrete, with
stone and brick as alternatives.

Literature Resources
M.F. Ashby, Materials Selection in Mechanical Design, 2ndEd.
multiple sources listed in appendices of the book
materials selection charts in lecture Appendix
Other references :
ASM Metals Handbook
Perrys Chemical Engineering Handbook
CRC Handbook of Mathematics and Physics
ASM Handbook of Ceramics and Composites