MATERIALS, PROPERTIES AND SELECTION

rom the second half of 20th century onward, great strides have been made in the
advancement of material science and the techniques for processing materials. As a
result a wide range of materials are now available for any imaginable applications.
The development of modern transport, particularly the airplane, is associated with a
vast increase in varieties of materials and making full use of their properties. More
recently the development of nuclear energy has stimulated the need for entirely new
metals and alloys and new composite materials exhibiting properties that could not
be achieved by ordinary metals. Furthermore, new plastic materials are finding an
ever increasing use in all branches of industry.
Materials make up the basic elements, which all manufacturing processes have to
work with. Manufacturing high quality products at a low cost requires a detailed
knowledge of complex interactions among a large number of factors including
product design requirements, materials and their properties and manufacturing
processes that convert these materials into required forms. Today there is a wide
range of materials and processes available and the task of selecting the best
possible material while minimizing the costs of manufacturing is a major challenge.
Meeting such a challenge requires a thorough understanding of the characteristics of
materials and processes and the associated manufacturing technology.

TYPES OF ENGINEERING MATERIALS

1) Metallic Materials
2) Polymeric Materials
3) Ceramics
4) Composites
5) Others (e.g. glass, wood, semiconductors, ...)

PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS
When selecting a material for a given application the material properties must satisfy
the function and the operating conditions of the component or the structure being
designed. The properties, which directly influence the choice of material, can be
summarized under the following categories:
 Mechanical Properties: e.g. stiffness, strength, ductility, hardness, toughness,
etc.
 Physical Properties: e.g. density, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity,
etc.
 Chemical Properties: e.g. corrosion resistance in various environments.
 Manufacturing Properties: e.g. formability, machinability, ease of joining, etc.
The functional requirements of a product are directly determined by the mechanical,
physical, chemical properties. However, for the product to be technically
manufacturable, the material must have the right manufacturing properties. For
example, a forged component requires a material with sufficient flowability without
cracking during forging, a cast component requires a material that flows readily in the
molten state and fills the mould and on solidification does not produce undesirable
pores and cracks.

MATERIAL SELECTION
No two materials have the same properties and the choice is usually decided by the
best possible combination of material properties and economical factors which
necessitates an optimum solution. Material selection task requires a through and
scientific approach and the following major aspects need to be satisfied:
a) Functional properties: The correct combination of mechanical, physical and
chemical properties to meet the function and operating conditions of the component.
b) Manufacturing properties: Processing or fabrication properties of the material for
the conversion processes needed to convert the material into required shape, such
as ease of casting, forming, joining, and machining.
c) Economics: Cost of the material as well as cost of processing the material into
required shape. As part of overall economics, both availability and recycling aspect
should also be taken into account.
A table containing Relative cost data for common materials is given here.
Material selection involves a complex interaction between component function,
material, process, component shape and costs. Those who select materials should
at least have a broad and basic understanding of properties of materials and their
processing characteristics. The function of the component must be clearly defined in
order that the required mechanical properties may be identified. An ideal list of
requirements may be easy to arrive at, but a material and process to satisfy all of
these requirements is unlikely to exist and an appropriate compromise must be
found. It is, therefore, important to distinguish essential properties from desirable
properties, those that can be compromised in order to achieve the essential
properties. Material properties are often quoted independent of shape but in some
circumstances geometry can influence the response of a component with respect to
stiffness and strength, to a considerable degree.
An additional factor in selecting a material for a particular component is
consideration of the manufacturing process. A process must be found that is capable
of making the component shape, with the correct accuracy, and with an acceptable
cost. In reality, both material and process selection must be considered
simultaneously since not all materials are compatible with every process. For
example, steel, nickel and titanium cannot be die cast, ceramic materials cannot be
machined using conventional techniques and the complexity of component shape
limits the process choice further.
It is also important that both the material and processes used must be controlled
during manufacture. For example, an incoming stock of raw material, which shows
variations in composition and microstructure, cannot be heat treated and machined
easily. A sheet metal showing variations in its cold worked condition will exhibit
differences in ‘spring back’ characteristics during forming. A cast component may
show inclusions and porosity unless melting operation, mould filling and solidification
of the casting are controlled. The final functional or mechanical properties of a
component, to a large extent, depend on the degree of control it receives during its
processing.
Material property data is widely available in various published form including material
handbooks, reference books, publications of many technical societies, etc., however,
a speedy access to right information may not always be possible. Tools have been
developed to assist in identifying the best material choice for a given set of
requirements. These include for example, material comparison charts, which contain
plots of one property against another