Material Selection

By Prof N. V Rachchh

Criteria for Material Selection

Performance Characteristics

Processing (Manufacturing) Characteristics

Environmental Profile Business Considerations

Design flow chart

Classification of Materials
Metals

Ceramics and glass

Wood and organics Polymers or Plastics Composites

Ashbys Material Selection Chart

Material Selection Process

Availability

Size limitations and tolerances on available

material shapes and forms, e.g., sheet thickness or tube wall concentricity. Excessive variability in properties Cost.

Steps in Material Selection Process

Define the functions that the design must perform and

translate these into required materials properties such as stiffness, strength, and corrosion resistance etc. Defi ne the manufacturing parameters, such as the number of parts to be produced, the size and complexity of the part, its required tolerance and surface finish. Compare the needed properties and parameters against a large materials property database (most likely computerized) to select a few materials that look promising for the application. Investigate the candidate materials in more detail, particularly for trade-offs in product performance, cost, fabricability, and availability in the grades and sizes needed for the application. Develop design data and/or a design specification.

Material for Automotive Exhaust System

Conduct engine exhaust gases away from the

engine Prevent noxious fumes from entering the car Cool the exhaust gases Reduce the engine noise Reduce the exposure of automobile body parts to exhaust gases Affect the engine performance as little as possible Help control unwanted exhaust emissions Have an acceptably long service life Have a reasonable cost, both as original equipment and as a replacement part

Basic System
Series of tubes that collect the gases at the

engine and convey them to the rear of the automobile. The size of the tubes is determined by the volume of gases to be carried away. Muffler is required for noise reduction and a catalytic converter to change polluting gases to less harmful emissions.

Material Selection
Mechanical property requirements
Suitable rigidity to prevent excessive vibration ,

Moderate fatigue resistance, creep resistance in hot parts Limiting property: corrosion resistance , especially in the cold end where gases condense to form corrosive liquids. Previous materials used: Low-carbon steel with corrosion-resistant coatings. Inexpensive, readily formed and welded. Life of tailpipe and muffler is limited. Newer materials used: specially developed stainless steels with improved corrosion and creep properties. Ferritic 11% Cr alloys are used in the cold

Material Selection Methods

Selection with computer-aided databases

Performance indices
Decision matrices Pugh selection method Weighted property index

Material Performance Indices

A material performance index is a group of material

properties that governs some aspect of the performance of a component. If this index is maximized it gives best solution to design problem. E.g Tubular frame of bicycle Requirements : light, strong tubular beam of fixed outer diameter Function : To carry bending moments Objective : To minimize mass m of frame. m/L= 2 rt

Material Performance Indices

The first constraint is that the tube strength must

be sufficient so it will not fail. If fatigue is the likely cause, then the cyclic bending moment M b the tube can withstand with infinite life is Mb = Ir =e

Pugh selection Method

This method compares each concept relative to a

reference or datum concept and for each criterion determines whether the concept in question is better than, poorer than, or about the same as the reference concept. 1) Choose the criteria by which the concepts will be evaluated 2) Formulate the decision matrix 3) Clarify the design concepts 4) Choose the datum concept 5) Run the matrix 6) Evaluate the ratings 7) Establish a new datum and rerun the matrix: 8) Examine the selected concept for improvement opportunities

Example

Weighted Decision Matrix

Example
A heavy steel crane hook, for use in supporting ladles

filled with molten steel as they are transported through the steel mill, is being designed. Two crane hooks are needed for each steel ladle. These large, heavy components are usually made to order in the steel mill machine shop when one is damaged and needs to be replaced. Three concepts have been proposed (1) built up from flame-cut steel plates, welded together; (2) built up from flame-cut steel plates, riveted together; (3) a monolithic cast steel hook.

Example
The design criteria are identified as

(1) material cost (2) manufacturing cost (3) time to produce a replacement hook if one fails (4) durability (5) reliability (6) reparability.

Object tree for Decision criteria of hook

Decision Matrix for steel crane hook

Analytic Hierarchy Process

AHP Ratings for pair wise comparison of selection criteria

AHP Process for Determining Criteria Weights

Complete criteria comparison matrix [C] using 1

9 ratings described in previous table Normalize the matrix [C] to give [NormC]. Average row values. This is the weight vector {W}. Perform a consistency check on [C]

Consistency Check Process for AHP Comparison Matrix [C]

Calculate weighted sum vector, {Ws} [C] {W}

Calculate consistency vector, {Cons} {Ws}/{W}

Estimate as the average of values in {Cons} Evaluate consistency index, CI ( n )/( n - 1) Calculate consistency ratio, CR = CI/RI. If CR < 0.1 the {W} is considered to be valid;

otherwise adjust [C] entries and repeat.

AHPs Ratings for Pairwise Comparison of Design Alternatives