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Materials Selection in
Engineering

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Overview
 Factors/Criteria in Material Selection
 Function
 Mechanical Properties
 Failure Modes
 Manufacturability
 Cost
 Environmental Considerations
 Decision Making in material selection

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Material Selection and Design

 Material Selection is Design-led
 Properties of a new material can suggest the new
product
 Transistor: High-purity silicon
 Optical Fiber: High-purity glass

Optical Fiber

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Material Selection and Design

 Need for a new product
can demand the
development of a new
material
 Turbine Technology:High-
Temperature
Alloys,Ceramics
 Space Technology:
Lightweight Composites
The solar-powered Pathfinder in flight

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

Sl. #4 Picture: Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts
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Mechanical Design

 Deals with function and physical principles

 Components must
» Carry Loads
» Conduct Heat and Electricity
» Exposed to Wear and Corrosion
» Must be Manufactured
 Limited by Materials

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Engineering Materials
 Six important classes of materials
 Metals  Ceramics
 Polymers  Glasses
 Elastomers  Composites

 Successful design exploits and brings out

the true potential of materials selected.
 The goal is to meet a certain profile of
properties
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University
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Design-Limiting Material Properties

 General:  Thermal
 Cost  Thermal Conductivity
 Density  Thermal Diffusivity
 Specific Heat
 Mechanical
 Melting Point
 Elastic Moduli
 Glass Temperature
 Strength
 Thermal Expansion
 Toughness Coefficient
 Fracture Toughness  Thermal Shock Resistance
 Damping Capacity  Creep Resistance
 Fatigue Endurance Limit
 Corrosion/Oxidation
 Wear  Corrosion Rate
 Archard Wear Constant  Parabolic Rate Constant

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Menu of Materials
 Metals  Ceramics/Glasses
 High Moduli  High Moduli, Hard,
 Can undergo Abrasion/Corrosion
resistant
» Alloying, Heat
• Cutting Tools
Treatment
 Formed by Deformation  Retain Strength at
High Temperature
 Ductile
 Brittle
» Yields before fracture
 Prey to high contact
 Prey to Fatigue, Corrosion stresses, low
tolerance for cracks

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Menu of Materials
 Polymers and Elastomers  Composites
 Low Moduli, High Strength  High Moduli,
» High Elastic Deflection Strength,
• Snap fits
Lightweight
 Corrosion Resistant  Can be Tough
 Easy to Shape  Optimal performance
at room temperature
 Minimize Finishing
Operations  Expensive
 Temperature Dependent  Difficult to
Properties Form/Join

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Materials Selection Charts

 Combinations of properties are
important in evaluating usefulness of
materials.
 Strength to Weight Ratio: f/
 Stiffness to Weight Ratio: E/
 Helpful to plot one property against
another
 Following charts useful in performance-
optimization
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University
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Speed of Sound in a solid, v

 Represented by: v   E  

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

Sl. #11 M.F. Ashby. Materials Selection in Mechanical Design. Pp34 © 1999
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Modulus vs. Density Chart

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

Sl. #12 M.F. Ashby. Materials Selection in Mechanical Design. Pp37 © 1999
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Material Indices
 A method is necessary for translating design
requirements into a prescription for a material
 Modulus-Density charts
 Reveal a method
1n
of using lines of constant
E n  1,2,3

to allow selection of materials for minimum weight
and deflection-limited design.
 Material Index
 Combination of material properties which characterize
performance in a given application.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Material Indices and Performance

 Combination of material properties which
characterize performance in a given
application
 Performance of a material:
 Functional   Geometeric   Material 
p  f  ,  ,  
 Needs, F   Parameters, G   Characteristics , M 

p  f1 ( F ) f 2 (G ) f 3 ( M )

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Simplification of Performance
 Performance for all F and G is
maximized by maximizing f3 (M)
 f3 (M): Material Index
 f1 (F) f2(G) : Related to Structural Index

 Each combination of function, objective,

and constraint leads to a material index.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Example: Calculation of Material Index

 Design: cylindrical tie rod
 Given length, ‘l’ carries tensile force, ‘F’ with
minimum mass

 Objective Function
 Mass (m) = Area (A) * Length (l) * Density (  )

 Goal: minimize ‘m’ by varying ‘A’

 Constraint: A must be sufficient to carry
tensile load, F F
 f
A (failure strength)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University
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Example: Material Index (Continued )
 By eliminating ‘A’ from these equations we obtain
m  F l   f 
 The lightest tie which will carry F safely is that
made of the material with the smallest value of
 f
 Therefore, the material index can be defined as
M  f 
 A similar calculation for a light, stiff tie leads to
the index
M E 
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University
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Strength vs. Density Chart

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

Sl. #18 M.F. Ashby. Materials Selection in Mechanical Design. Pp39 ©1999
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Other Materials Selection Charts

 Modulus-Relative Cost  Facture Toughness-
 Strength-Relative Cost Density
Modulus-Strength  Conductivity-Diffusivity
 Specific Modulus-  Expansion-Conductivity
Specific Strength  Expansion-Modulus
 Fracture Toughness-  Strength-Expansion
Modulus
 Strength Temperature
 Fracture Toughness-
Strength
 Wear Rate-Hardness
 Loss Coefficient-Modulus  Environmental Attack
Chart

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Failure
 Can be of many types
 Wearout
 Fracture
Pipeline Failure
 Corrosion
 Important to be aware of appropriate
repair methods available
 Failure mode can be anticipated based on
material type

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

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Environmental Attack Chart

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Ohio State University

Sl. #21 M.F. Ashby. Materials Selection in Mechanical Design. Pp62 © 1999