CHAPTER 3 – BDA 20402

Materials chart

3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 DISPLAYING MATERIALS PROPERTIES
3.3 MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
3.4 SELECTION STRATEGY
 3.1 Introduction

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INTRODUCTION TO PROPERTY CHART…

• Performance is not depending on only one

material properties.
• The selection of a specific material for a
particular use is a very complex process.
• However, one can simplify the choice if these
details are known :
i. operating parameters,
ii. manufacturing processes,
iii. functional requirements,
iv. cost considerations

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INTRODUCTION TO PROPERTY CHART…

• Factors affecting the selection of materials are summarized in

table below:

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 3.2 Displaying Materials
Properties

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DISPLAYING MATERIALS PROPERTIES
• Each property of an engineering material has a characteristic range
of values.
• The span can be large: many properties have values that range over
five or more decades.
• One way of displaying this is as a bar chart (refer Figure) for Young’s
modulus.
• Each bar describes one material; its length shows the range of
modulus exhibited by that material in its various forms. The
materials are segregated by class. Each class shows a characteristic
range – Metals and ceramics have high moduli; polymers have low;
hybrids have a wide range, from low to high.
• The total range is large—it spans a factor of about 106—so
logarithmic scales are used to display it.

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DISPLAYING MATERIALS PROPERTIES

A bar chart showing modulus for families of solids. Each bar shows the range of modulus offered by a
material, some of which are labeled.

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DISPLAYING MATERIALS PROPERTIES

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DISPLAYING MATERIALS PROPERTIES

• More information is displayed by an alternative plot “Material

property charts” or what called “Ashby chart” which are a
good way of summarizing

• A wide range of material properties. Two properties are

plotted; one on each axis of the graph.
Common combinations are:- Modulus – Density, Modulus –
Strength, Strength – Cost, Fracture Toughness – Strength etc.

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 DISPLAYING MATERIALS PROPERTIES
• Bubbles are drawn for
individual materials, whole
classes of materials or subsets
to show the range of
properties available.
• Any type of material can be
drawn on these charts
including porous materials,
such as foams, and composites
of two or more bulk materials.
•
• Notice that scales are
logarithmic making it possible
to show a wide range of
materials on just one chart.
• Notice that materials cluster
together within their classes. A schematic E − ρ chart showing a lower limit
for E and an upper limit for ρ

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 3.3 Materials Properties
Charts

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 MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
1. Modulus – density
2. Strength – density
3. Fracture toughness – density
4. Modulus – strength
5. Specific modulus – specific strength
6. Fracture toughness – modulus
7. Fracture toughness – strength
8. Loss coefficient – modulus
9. Thermal conductivity – thermal
diffusivity
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10.Thermal expansion – thermal
conductivity
11.Thermal expansion – modulus
12.Strength – ductility
13.Strength – temperature
14.Modulus – relative cost
15.Strength – relative cost
16.Wear rate / bearing pressure
17.Environment attack chart etc.
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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS

Performance (Merit Index):

• is a grouping of properties which, when maximized,
give some maximum performance of a material.

• When designing something, we often have particular

objectives such as minimum weight or maximum
stiffness.

• A merit index helps us to compare the performance of

different materials in achieving the objective.

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 MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
Performance (Merit Index):
• For example, E/ρ is a typical
merit index for minimum
weight, deflection limited
design.

• On a property chart this

ratio forms a set of straight
lines of slope 1.

• Materials which are lighter

and stiffer in comparison to
other materials lie above
and to the left of this line

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 MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
Table 4.2: Performance Indices
COMPONENT MAX. STIFFNESS MAX. STRENGTH
Tie, i.e. tensile strut E/ρ σy / ρ
Beam E½ / ρ σ⅔ / ρ
Column, i.e compressive strut E½ / ρ σy / ρ
Plate, loaded externally or by self weight in bending E⅓ / ρ σy / ρ
Cylinder with internal pressure E/ρ σy / ρ
Spherical shell with internal pressure E / (1 – γ)ρ σy / ρ
Note: E is the modulus of elasticity, ρ the density, σy the yield stress (tough sometimes the
tensile strength is used), and γ Poisson’s ratio

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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
The modulus–density chart
• To select materials which have

✓
at least a tensile modulus of,
say 10 GPa a line is drawn
across the chart at that value
and all the material above that
line form the selected subset.
• If we also have the requirement
of density less than 3 kg/m3
then we draw a line on the
chart at this value and all the
material to the left of that line
follow this criteria.
• So the subsets of materials with
both criteria are those in the
upper left quadrant.

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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
The modulus–density chart
• If a cantilever needs maximum stiffness and minimum mass, then
the performance index will be C = E1/2/ρ.
• Note that the log-log scale will be plotted, then:
log C = ½ log E – log ρ
log E = 2 log ρ + 2 log C (Slope = 2)

• So, family of straight lines will be available for this case.

• But in some cases further limitation will be done like (E/ρ = 1000).
• Doing log to both side give
log E – log ρ = log 1000
log E = log ρ + 3

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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
The modulus–density
chart
• This will be a line on
the chart with a
constant slope of 1
and intercept of 3
with log E axis (red
line in figure) will
indicate to the
optimum criteria.
Young’s modulus E plotted against density ρ
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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
The modulus–density
chart
• Also in some
cases we need the
material subsets
with fitted criteria
(intercept).
• Figure shows
more details help
with the selection
of proper material
subsets.

Young’s modulus E plotted against density ρ. The heavy envelopes enclose data for a given class of material. The
diagonal contours show the longitudinal wave velocity. The guide lines of constant E/ρ, E1/2/ρ, and E1/3/ρ allow
selection of materials for minimum weight, deflection-limited, design.
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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS

EXAMPLE:

The longitudinal wave speed of sound in a material is given by

the equation:

V = (𝐸 / 𝜌)1/2

Rewrite this equation by taking the base-10 logarithm of both

sides to get:

log (V) = ½ [log(E)-log(ρ)] or log (E) = log(ρ) + 2log(V)

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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS

This is an equation of the form Y = mX + C, where:

Y = log(E),
C = constant = 2log (V) = y-axis intercept at X = 0,
m = slope = 1, and
X = log(ρ).

This appears as a line of slope = 1 on a plot of log(E)

versus log(ρ). Such a line connects materials that have the
same speed of sound (constant V).

NOTE: X = 0 means what for the value of density?

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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
The strength–density chart
• The word “strength “mean:

• For metals and polymers, it is the yield strength, but since the range of
materials includes those that have been worked or hardened in some other
way as well as those that have been softened by annealing, the range is large.

• For brittle ceramics, the strength plotted here is the modulus of rupture (The
flexural strength). It is slightly greater than the tensile strength, but much less
than the compression strength, which for ceramics is 10 to 15 times greater
than the strength in tension.

• For elastomers, strength means the tensile tear strength

• For composites, it is the tensile failure strength (the compressive strength can
be less by up to 30% because of fiber buckling).

• We will use the symbol σf for all of these.

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 MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS
• The range of strength
for engineering
materials, like the range
for the modulus, spans
many decades: from less
than 0.01 MPa (foams,
used in packaging and
energy-absorbing
systems) to 104 MPa
(the strength of
diamond, exploited in
the diamond-anvil
press).

Strength σf plotted against density ρ (yield strength for metals and polymers, Flexural strength for
ceramics, tear strength for elastomers, and tensile strength for composites). The guidelines of
constants σf /ρ, σf 2/3 /ρ, and σf 1/2 /ρ are used in minimum weight, yield-limited, design.

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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS

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MATERIALS PROPERTIES CHARTS

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 3.4 Selection Strategy

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 THE SELECTION STRATEGY…
• Basic procedure
for selection is
establishing the
link between
material and
function.

• A material has
attributes
(density,
strength, cost,
resistance to
corrosion etc.).

Material selection is determined by function. Shape

sometimes influences the selection. (M.F. Ashby, 1999)

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THE SELECTION STRATEGY…

The taxonomy of the kingdom of materials and their attributes. Computer-

based selection software stores data in a hierarchical structure like this.

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THE SELECTION STRATEGY…

• The strategy for

materials selection.
• The four main
steps—translation,
screening, ranking,
and supporting
information—are
shown here.

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THE SELECTION STRATEGY: TRANSLATION…
T R A N S L AT I O N
• How are the design requirements for a component (defining what it must
do) translated into a prescription for a material?

• 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 or pressures without
failure, that it insulates or conducts, that it can function in a certain range of
temperature and in a given environment, and many more.

• In designing the component, the designer has an objective: to make it as

cheap as possible, perhaps, or as light, or as safe, or perhaps some
combination of these.

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THE SELECTION STRATEGY: TRANSLATION…
• Certain parameters can be adjusted in order to optimize the objective—
the designer is free to vary dimensions that have not been constrained by
design requirements and, most importantly, free to choose the material
for the component.
• We refer to these as free variables. Function and constraints, objective
and free variables define the boundary conditions for selecting a material
and—in the case of load-bearing components—a shape for its cross-
section.
• The first step in relating design requirements to material properties is a
clear statement of function, constraints, objective, and free variables.

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THE SELECTION STRATEGY: SCREENING…
• Unbiased selection requires that all materials are considered to be
candidates until shown to be otherwise

• The first of these, screening, eliminates candidates that cannot do

the job at all because one or more of their attributes lies outside
the limits set by the constraints.

• As examples, the requirement that ‘‘the component must function

in boiling water’’, or that ‘‘the component must be transparent’’
imposes obvious limits on the attributes of maximum service
temperature and optical transparency that successful candidates
must meet.
• We refer to these as attribute (property) limits.

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SCREENING by attributes and links

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THE SELECTION STRATEGY: RANKING…
• Attribute limits do not, however, help with ordering the candidates
that remain.
• To do this we need optimization criteria. They are found in the
material indices, which measure how well a candidate that has
passed the screening step can do the job.
• Performance is sometimes limited by a single property, sometimes
by a combination of them. Thus, the best materials for buoyancy
are those with the lowest density, ; those best for thermal
insulation the ones with the smallest values of the thermal
conductivity,
• To summarize: screening isolate candidates that are capable of
doing the job; ranking identifies those among them that can do the
job best.

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RANKING by performance

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