EME 4353 Advanced Engineering Materials

Materials Selection Process

(Week 2)
 Learning Objectives

1. Describe the manner in which materials selection charts

are employed in the materials selection process.

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 Material Selection process

• Appropriate selection of material is significant for the safe and

reliable functioning of a part or component.

• Engineering materials can be broadly classified as metals and their

alloys, and non-metals such as ceramics, polymers, natural
materials, and composites.

• Each of these materials is characterized by a unique set of

physical, mechanical and chemical properties, which can be
treated as attributes of a specific material

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 Material Selection process

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 Material Selection process

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 Material Performance Index
• The problem of selection of an engineering material for a component usually
begins with setting up the target Function, Objective, Constraints, and
Free Variables.

• The Function refers to the task that the component is primarily

expected to perform in service – for example, support load, sustain
pressure, transmit heat, etc.

• The Objective refers to the target such as making the component

functionally superior but cheap and light. In other words, the Objective
refers to what needs to be minimized or maximized.

• The Constraints in the process of material selection are primarily

geometrical or functional in nature. For example, the length or cross-
sectional area of a component may be fixed.

• The Free Variables refer to the available candidate materials.

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 Material Performance Index

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 Material Performance Index

• Systematic selection for applications requiring multiple criteria is

more complex. For example, a rod which should be stiff and light
requires a material with high Young's modulus and low density.

• If the rod will be pulled in tension, the specific modulus, or modulus

E
divided by density  , will determine the best material.

E1 2
• For loading conditions that could lead to buckling, 
applies

E 1/ 3
• For a stiff beam in bending, the material index is 

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 Materials Selection Chart

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 Nature of Materials Selection Process

Analysis of Materials Performance requirements include:

a) Functional requirements
b) Processability requirements
c) Cost
d) Reliability requirements
e) Resistance to service conditions

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 Functional Requirements

- Directly related to required characteristics of the part

or product
- E.g. for parts carrying tensile load, the yield strength
of a candidate material can be directly related to the
load-carrying capacity of the product

- Not all characteristics of the product have a direct simple

correspondence with measurable material properties.
- E.g. thermal shock resistance, wear resistance,
reliability, etc
- Depends upon predictions from simulation tests or
most closely related properties.

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 Processability Requirements
- A measure of materials ability to be worked and
shaped:

Shaping
Joining
E.g. Finishing
Machining E.g.
Raw casting, E.g.
and heat adhesives,
Materials molding, polishing,
treatment welding,
powder coating,
fasteners
metallufry

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 Cost
1. Engineering materials can be classified into two main
categories:
a) Common (cost effective) – plain carbon steels,
polyethylene
b) High performance (expensive) – super alloys

2. Efforts should be made to achieve overall reduction of

product cost (including machining cost, recovery of
scrap material)

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 Reliability Requirements

1. Defined as probability that the material will perform

the intended function for the expected life without
failure
• Non-standard materials will have lower reliability

2. Failure analysis techniques are usually used to predict

the different ways a product can fail
• Causes of failure can be traced back to defects in
materials and processing, faulty design or
unexpected service conditions

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 Resistance to Service Conditions
1. Operating condition plays an important role in
determining the material performance requirement i.e.
corrosive and extreme temperature environment

2. Compatibility of the materials is also crucial.

• Thermal environment – similar coefficients of thermal
expansion to avoid thermal stresses
• Wet environment – avoid galvanic corrosion

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