Material selection Process involves the following processes:

1. Analysis of material specification – for application problem this requires the

following studies:

 Performance requirements

 Functional performance

 Physical Attributes

 Application conditions

2. Translation of material application requirements to material property values –

some parts / products are unidirectional stresses

3. Process selection involves search of material that best meets the properties.

4. Specified properties – best suited to application. This involves evaluation of three

phases a ) Screening, b) Selection, c) Design data phases.

Factors affecting the selection of Materials for Engineering applications:

1. Properties of Materials:

 Mechanical – Stresses

 Thermal – Heat / Cold

 Chemical – Atmosphere, Water, Chemicals

 Electrical – power , current

 Radiation – Light , Ultra-violet, Nuclear

2. Performance Requirements – performing the parts / production function with

out failure ( Example: Refractory used in furnace should withstand high
temperature )

3. Material Reliability – Stable enough to function in service for the intended life of
the product without failure.

4. Safety

5. Physical attributes such as Configuration, size, Weight, appearance etc.

6. Environmental Conditions – products operates strongly under service

conditions such as Humidity, Water, Chemical etc.
 7. Availability – Readily available in large quantities for intended applications.

8. Disposability and Re-cyclability

9. Economic Factors such as Cost – cost of material and cost of processing the
material into further product. Value Engineering is applied nowadays to reduce
toe product price for competitive edge.

Comparison of properties between Metals and Non-metals:

Physical Properties
Metals Nonmetals
 Good electrical conductors and heat
 Poor conductors of heat and
conductors.
electricity.

 Malleable – can be beaten into thin

 Brittle – if a solid.
sheets.

 Non-ductile.
 Ductile – can be stretched into wire.

 Do not possess metallic luster.

 Possess metallic luster.

 Transparent as a thin sheet.

 Opaque as thin sheet.

 Solids, liquids or gases at room

 Solid at room temperature (except
temperature.
Hg).

Chemical Properties
Metals Nonmetals
 Usually have 4-8 electrons in their
 Usually have 1-3 electrons in their
outer shell.
outer shell.

 Gain or share valence electrons

 Lose their valence electrons easily.
easily.

 Form oxides that are basic.

 Form oxides that are acidic.

 Are good reducing agents.

 Are good oxidizing agents.

 Have lower electro-negativities.

 Have higher electro-negativities.

PROPERTIES MATERIALS - for Engineering Applications:

1. PHYSICAL:

 Dimensions ( eg. In MM , Inches Length/Width/Height )

 Shape ( such as : Square, Rectangle, Circular, polygon etc)
 Density ( eg. Kg / cub.m )
 Specific gravity ( number with respect to water )
 Micro-structure
 Melting point ( in Degree Centigrade or Fahrenheit )
 Thermal conductivity ( in W / cub.m / degree )
 Co-efficient of Linear Expansion

2. CHEMICAL:

 Chemical Composition
 Acidic
 Alkaline
 Alloying Components

3. MECHANICAL:

 Strength
 Tensile
 Compression
 Shear
 Elasticity
 Stiffness
 Hardness
 Plasticity
 Ductility
 Malleability
 Brittleness
 Toughness

4. THERMAL:

 Expansion
 Contraction
 Conductivity

5. ELECTRICAL:

 Conductivity
 Magnetism
 Galvanic Action

6. OTHERS:

 Surface Finish
  Impact Strength ( An act of one object hitting another noticeable
influence over another surface)
 Frictional properties ( Resistance that one surface /object encounters
when moving against another)
 Aesthetic
 Color
 Optical Clarity ( relating to vision, light or optics )
 Effect of contact ( with other materials – sacrificial corrosion)

Engineering Application – properties of Materials / Metals:

1. Malleability - able to be hammered / pressed into shape without breaking or

cracking
2. Ductility – able to draw out into a thin wire.
3. Toughness - - strong enough to withstand wear and tear.
4. Hardness – Solid , firm and rigid
5. Tensile – capable of being drawn out or stretched
6. Brittleness – Hard but likely to break easily.
7. Compressive – squeeze or press ( two things ) together.
8. Shear Stress – Break off because of a strain in the structure of some thing
9. Resistivity – The ability not to be affected by something ( the degree up to which
the material opposes the passage of electric current.
10. Conductivity – The degree to which a material conducts heat / electricity.
11. Fatigue – Brittleness in metal or other materials caused by repeated
stress.
12. Creep – Slow and gradual movement along the another surface.
13. Toxicity – poisonous – relating to or caused by poison.
14. Stability – state of being stable/ well balanced not likely to change or fail.
15. Wear Resistance wherever relevant / applicable.
16. Tenacity – which resists tensile stress due to adhesiveness.

Glossary of words and its descriptive meaning with reference to Materials:

STRENGTH: It is the ability of a material to resist the externally applied forces without
breaking or yielding. The internal resistance offered by a part to an externally applied
force is called stress. Three types of Strength are :

 1)Tensile strength – the ratio of the maximum load to original cross sectional
area is called Tensile strength or Ultimate Tensile Strength.
 2) Yield Strength – When metals are subjected to tensile force they stretch or
elongate as the stress increases. The point where the stretch suddenly
increases is known as yield Strength of the material.
  3) Impact Strength – Impact strength is a complex characteristic which takes
into account both toughness and strength of a material. The capacity of a
material to resist or absorb shock energy before it fractures is called its impact
strength.

STIFFNESS: It is the ability of a material to resist deformation under stress. The

modulus of elasticity is the measure of stiffness.

ELSTICITY: It is the property of a material to regain its original shape after

deformation when the external forces are removed. This property is desirable for
materials used in Tools and machines. Steel is more elastic than Rubber.

PLASTICITY: It is the property of a material which retains the deformation produced

under load permanently. This property of the material is necessary for forgings, in
stamping images as coins and in ornamental work.

DUCTILITY: It is the property of a material enabling it to be drawn into wire with

application of tensile force.. A ductile material must be both strong and plastic –
commonly used materials in Engineering are – Milds Steel, copper, Aluminum, Nickel,
Zinc , Tin and Lead.

BRITTLENESS: It is the property of a material opposite to ductility. It is the property

of breaking of a material with little permanent distortion. Brittle materials when
subjected to tensile loads snap off without giving any sensible elongation. Cast Iron is
an example.

MALLEABILITY: It is a special case of ductility which permits materials to be rolled

or hammered into thin sheets. The malleable material should be plastic but it is not
essential to be so strong. – common materials are Lead, soft Steel, wrought Iron,
Copper, aluminum.

TOUGHNESS: It is the property of a material to resist fracture due to high impact

loads like hammer blows. The toughness of the material decreases when it is heated.

MACHINABILITY: It is the property of a material which refers to a relative case with

which a material can be cut. The mach inability of a material can be measured in
number of ways. 1) Comparing the tool life, 2) Thrust to remove materials. 3) Energy
required to remove unit volume ( Example: Easy mach inability is brass when
compared to Steel).

RESILIENCE: It is the property of a material to absorb energy and to resist shock and
impact loads. It is measured by the amount of energy absorbed per unit volume within
the elastic limit. This property is essential for spring materials.

CREEP: When a part is subjected to a constant stress at high temperature for a long
period of time , it will undergo a slow and permanent deformation called creep. This
property is considered in designing Internal Combustion Engines, Boilers and
Turbines.
FATIGUE: When a material is subjected to repeated stresses, it fails at stresses below
the yield point stresses. Such type of failure of a material is known as Fatigue. This
failure is caused by means of a progressive crack formation which are usually fine
and microscopic size. This property is considered in designing Shafts, Connecting
Rods, Springs, Gears etc.

HARDNESS: It is a very important property of the metals and has a wide variety of
meanings. It embraces many different properties such as 1) Resistance to Wear, 2 )
Scratching, 3) deformation, 4) Mach inability etc.

WEAR RESISTANCE: Wear is the unilateral removal of solid material from rubbing
surfaces. Wear resistance is defined as the ability to resist wear and abrasion. There
are two type of wear resistance

1) Adhesive wear,

2) Abrasive wear.

TENACITY: The property by which a material resist tensile stress due to the
adhesiveness of molecules of material is called Tenacity. It is the maximum tensile
strength at which the material fails. Example: High tensile steel & certain Alloy.