BMFB 3323

Materials Selection
SEM II 2010/2011

Lecture 2

Materials Selection:
THE DESIGN PROCESS & THE BASIC

BMFB 3323 SEM II 2014/2015 Lecture 2 THE DESIGN PROCESS & THE
BASIC

REFLECTION:

Materials Attributes:
e.g.
Mechanical, thermal, electrical, optical and chemical
properties, cost and availability, processing characteristics and the
environmental consequences of its use.
e.g. Density, strength, , resistance to corrosion.
Process Attributes :
e.g. The materials it can handle, the shape it can make, their size,
precision and the economic batch size (the number of units that it an
make most economically).

LEARNING OUTCOMES

To develop a strategy for selecting materials and

process that is design-led.

Using translation, screening, ranking and documentation

as a tool in selection strategy

INTRODUCTION

Design is the process of translating a new idea or a marked need

into detailed information from which a product can be made (M.F.
Ashby)

Engineering design is the process of devising a system,

component, or process to meet desired needs.

The design process consists of several steps, each has certain

characteristics and certain tasks to be performed:

Recognising a need (problem)

Defining the problem

Establishing specifications

Gathering information

THE DESIGN PROCESS

A systematic problem solving strategy, with criteria and

constraints, used to develop many possible solutions to
solve a problem or satisfy human needs and to narrow
down the possible solutions to one final choice

TYPES OF DESIGN

Original design

New idea/ working principle (from

scratch)

Adaptive/
Development
Design

Improvements of existing product

e.g; Cars, consumer products (mobile
phones, cameras etc)

Variant Design

Change in scale or dimensions without

changing the function
e.g; desktop PC to laptop computer

THE DESIGN FLOW CHART

THE DESIGN FLOW CHART

MATERIALS DATA IN THE DESIGN

PROCESS

MATERIALS DATA IN THE DESIGN

PROCESS

The design process may not

seem as logical & linear as it is.

The design process is complete

only when a compatible path
from need to specification
can be identified.

The key FLEXIBILITY.

Cs: Concepts
Es: Embodiments of Cs
Ds: Detailed realizations of Es

At each stage of the

design, decisions need
to be made about
what to make it out of
(Materials),
and how to make it
(Processes
and
Shapes)

Metals
Ceramics

MATERIALS
Composites
Polymers

Casting
Moulding

PROCESSES
Powder Methods
Machining

Flat & Sheet

SHAPES
Prismatic
3-D

THE DESIGN PROCESS

1)

Conceptual

Design proceed by developing concepts to

perform the function

At this stage, all options are open

The designer considers alternatives concepts

and ways

THE DESIGN PROCESS

2)

Embodiment

Take the promising concepts and seeks to analyze their

operation at an approximate level.

Involves selecting materials, sizing components,

examining the implications for performance and cost.

The embodiment stage ends with a feasible layout

Then passed to the detailed design stage

THE DESIGN PROCESS

3)

Detail

Specifications for each component are drawn up.

Optimization methods are applied to maximize

performance.

Final choice of material and process are made

 Iteration, looping back to explore

alternatives, is an essential part of the
design process.
Think of each of the many possible
choices that could be made as an array
of blobs in design space as suggested in
the fig.
Then the design process becomes one of
creating paths, linking compatible blobs,
until a connection is made from the top
(market need) to the bottom
(product specification).
Once a path is found, it is always
possible to make it look linear and
logical process.
Thus a key part of design, and of
selecting materials for it, is flexibility,
the ability to explore alternatives
quickly.

DESIGN TOOLS AND MATERIALS

DATA

FUNCTION, MATERIAL,
SHAPE, AND PROCESS
Function dictates the choice of both
material and shape.
Process is influenced by the material: by
its formability, machinability, weldability,
heat-treatability, and so on.
Process obviously interacts with shape
the process determines the shape, the
size, the precision and the cost.
The interactions are two-way:
1.Specification of shape restricts the choice
of material and process
2.Specification of process limits the
materials you can use and the shapes they
can take

Function, material, shape and

process interact.

Example of design process..

Need Concept Embodiment
Need

Concepts

A
device
is
required to allow
access to wine in
a corked bottle

Embodiments

Direct pull

Levered pull

Geared pull Spring assisted pull

Embodiment
Detail
Embodiment

Detail

THE DESIGN PROCESS

Summary

The key part of design and of selecting materials is

flexibility, the ability to explore alternatives quickly

Keeping the big picture as well as the details in focus.

CASE STUDY :
1. Cooling power electronic
Microchips, particularly those for power electronics,
get hot. If they get too hot, they cease to function.
What is the need?
A scheme for removing heat from
power microchips.

CASE STUDY :
1. Cooling power electronic
Step 1:
Devise concepts to meet the need.

To remove heat
from power
microchips

CASE STUDY :
1. Cooling power electronic
Concept
C1: Conduction

To remove heat
from power
microchips

C2: Convection

C3: Evaporation

C4: Radiation

CASE STUDY :
1. Cooling power electronic
Step 2:
Sketch an embodiment of all of them.
C1: Conduction

To remove heat
from power
microchips

C2: Convection

C3: Evaporation

C4: Radiation

CASE STUDY :
1. Cooling power electronic
Concept
C1:
Conduction

To remove
heat from
power
microchips

C2:
Convection

C3:
Evaporation

C4:
Radiation

Embodiment
Massive, with sufficient heat capacity to absorb
heat over work cycle
Compact, requiring back-up by coupling to
convection, evaporation or radiation
Free convection not requiring fan or pump
Forced convection with fan or pump
Unconfined, such as a continuous spray of
volatile fluid
Confined, utilising heat-pipe technology
Radiation to ambient, using high emissivity
coatings
Radiation to cooled surface, from high emissivity
surface to highly absorbent surface

THE DESIGN PROCESS

List three things that you are very clear

of.

List three things that you feel hazy about.

List three things that you need further

clarification.

BMFB 3323
Materials Selection
SEM II 2010/2011

Lecture 3

Materials Selection:
THE BASIC

BMFB 3323 SEM II 2014/2015 Lecture 3 THE BASIC

THE BASICS OF MATERIALS

SELECTION

Selection involves seeking the best match

between the property-profiles of the materials
and that required by the design.

The selection task involves:

a)

Identifying the desired attribute profile and then

b)

Comparing it with those of real engineering

materials to find the best match.

THE BASICS OF MATERIALS

SELECTION

MATERIALS SELECTION
STRATEGY
All Materials
Translate Design requirements

Screen using constraints

Rank using objective
Seek supporting information

Final Material
Choice

The selection strategy

Function

What does component do?

Constraints

What non-negotiable conditions must be

met?
Is an essential condition that must be met,
usually expressed as a limit on a material or
process attribute.

Objective

What is to be maximized or minimized?

Is a quantity for which an extreme value (a
maximum or minimum) is sought, frequently
cost, mass or volume.

Free Variable

What parameters of the problem is the

designer free to change.

1.
1) Translation
Translation
Converting the design requirements into a prescription for
selecting a material and a process to shape it.
Any engineering component has one or more functions,
subject to constraints, have one or more objectives

1.
Translation
Certain parameters can be adjusted in order to optimize the
objective (free variables).
Function, constraints, objectives and free variables (Table 1)
define the boundary conditions for selecting a material.
The first step in relating design requirements to material
properties is a clear statement of function, constraints,
objectives and free variables.

THE SELECTION STRATEGY

Table 1: Function, constraints, objectives
and free variables
Function

What does component do?

to support a load, to contain a pressure, to

transmit heat, and so forth. This must be
achieved

Constraints

What non-negotiable
conditions must be met?

that certain dimensions are fixed, that the

component must carry the design loads 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.

Objective

What is to be maximized or
minimized?

to make it as cheap as possible, perhaps, or as

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

Free
Variable

What parameters of the

problem is the designer free to
change

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.

THE SELECTION STRATEGY

Constraints

Is an essential
condition that
must be met,
usually expressed
as a limit on a
material or
process attribute.

Objective

Is a quantity for
which an extreme
value (a maximum
or minimum) is
sought, frequently
cost, mass or
volume.

THE SELECTION STRATEGY

Discuss in
pairs:

Assume that you were an CEO for Cap

Ayam Company, how do you select the
best candidate to be your secretary?

Assume that you wanna buy a netbook,

how would you decide which brand to go
for?

THE BASICS OF MATERIALS

SELECTION

Strategy for material

selection involves four
main steps:

1)

Translating

2)

Screening

3)

Ranking

4)

Documentation

Strategy 1: Translating

Translating design requirement into

function, constraints, objectives & free
variables.

Function?

Objective?

Constraints?

Free
variables?

Strategy 1: Translating

Function
Constraint
Objective
Free
Variable

Case Studies: Office scissors

A material is required to manufacture office
scissors. Paper is an abrasive material, and scissors
sometimes encounter hard obstacles like staples.
List function and constraints; set the objective to
minimize cost and the free variables to choice of
material.
Elements in
Design
Requirement
Function
Constraints
Objective
Free variables

Explanation

Case Studies: Office scissors

A material is required to manufacture office scissors.
Paper is an abrasive material, and scissors sometimes
encounter hard obstacles like staples. List function
and constraints; set the objective to minimize cost
and the free variables to choice of material.
Elements in
Design
Requirement

Explanation

Function

Scissors

Constraints

~ High hardness
~ Adequate toughness: K1c > 15M Pa.m
~ Good wear resistance
~ Able to be forged

Objective

Minimize cost

Free variables

Choice of material

Case Studies: Heat Exchanger

A material is required for a heat exchanger to
extract heat from geo-thermally heated, saline,
water at 120oC (and thus under pressure). List
function and constraints; set the objective to
minimize cost and the free variables to choice of
material.
Elements in Design
Requirement
Function
Constraints
Objective
Free variables

Explanation

Strategy 2: Screening

Unbiased selection consider all materials

to be candidates

Eliminate candidates that cannot do the

job at all because their attributes lies
outside the limits (refer to constraints)

Constraints?

Strategy 3: Ranking

Strategy 3: Ranking

Identifying the candidates that remain & ordering

those that can do the job best
Material index:
a)

The property or property group that

maximizes performance for a given design

b)

Provide criteria of excellence that allow

ranking of materials by their ability to
perform well in the given application

c)

Material indices are generally expressed so

that a maximum value is sought

Constraints set
property limits.
Objectives define
material indices,
for which we seek
extreme values.

Strategy 3: Ranking

Strategy 3: Ranking

Strategy 3: Ranking

Conventional method employ selection

matrix

Example: Shaft
Key requirements:

Selection candidates:

30 HRC hardness
High impact strength
A minimum fatigue
strength
High stiffness
Low cost

Prehard 4140 steel

Case hardened 1020
steel
17-4 PH stainless steel
Titanium 6A14V
6061-T6 aluminum
C36000 yellow brass

Strategy 3: Ranking

Strategy 3: Ranking
*10 is best

Candidate materials
Brass C36000

Aluminum
6061-T6

Titanium
Ti6A14V

Stainless steel
17-4 PH

Carbon steel
1020

Prehardened
steel 4140 @
30HRC

30 HRC minimum

10

10

10

30 ksi endurance
limit

4.4

2.6

10

9.3

4.4

10

Charpy Vee
impact >15 ft lb

10

10

10

10

18
(6x3)

10
(3.3x3)

18
(6x3)

27
(9x3)

30
(10x3)

30
(10x3)

Rustproof

10

10

Material cost
$/lb

0.5

10

Treatment/mach
ining costs $

10

10

10

Will last 5 years

10

10

10

10

10

10

69.4

59.6

78.5

86.3

80.4

87

Part / structure
requirements

High elastic
modulus
*(X3 factor)

Score

Strategy 4: Documentation
Translating

Screening

Ranking

Documentation
Why ?

Helps narrow the short-list to a final choice

Differs greatly from the structured property data
Descriptive / graphical / pictorial case studies of previous
uses of the material, details of its corrosion behaviour in
particular environments, information of availability/pricing,
experience of its environmental impacts.
Source: handbooks, suppliers data sheets, CD-based data
sources, www.

Strategy 4: Documentation

The selection strategy: Cars

Data:
Data:
Performance
Performance
Economy
Economy
What
What car?
car? rating
rating

Requirements
expressed as
Constraints and
Objectives

Mid size family saloon

4 doors
200 + horse power
Least cost of ownership

Comparison engine
Screening
Ranking
Documentation
Delivery time
Service frequency
Nearest dealer
Warranty

Final selection

Make and Model

Dimensions
Number of doors
Fuel type
Power
Fuel consumption
CO2 rating

The selection strategy: Materials

Data:
Material attributes
Process attributes
Documentation

Design requirements:
expressed as
Constraints and
Objectives

Able to be molded
Water and UV resistant
Stiff enough
Strong enough

Comparison engine
Screening
Ranking
Documentation

As light as possible
As cheap as possible

Final selection

Density
Price
Modulus
Strength
Durability
Process compatibility
More.

Understanding Check

Why do we need to do screening & ranking?

What is the difference between screening & ranking?

The

Basics

of Material Selection

List three things that you are very clear of.

List three things that you feel hazy about.

List three things that you need further clarification.

Tutorial:
Translation: constraints and
objectives
1.

A material is required for the windings of an electric

air-furnace capable of temperatures up to 1000oC.
Think out what attributes a material must have if it is
to be made into windings and function properly in a
furnace. List the function and the constraints; set the
objective to minimize cost and the free variables to
choice of material.

2.

A material is required for a heat exchanger to extract

heat from geo-thermally heated, saline, water at
120oC (and thus under pressure). List function and
constraints; set the objective to minimize cost and
the free variables to choice of material.

Answer:
Translation: constraints and
objectives

Answer:
Translation: constraints and
objectives

Do we achieve our objective for todays lesson?

SUMMARY

Why are all these steps necessary?

Without screening and ranking- the candidate-pool is

enormous

and

the

volume

of

documentation

overwhelming.

Screening-ranking steps have identified a small

number of potential candidates, So that detailed
documentation can be sought for these few alone,
making the task viable.

Documentation helps narrow the short-list to a final

choice, allowing a definitive match to be made
between
attributes.

design

requirements

and

material