CHAPTER 4 – BDA 20402

Materials selection
chart
4.1 DERIVATION OF PROPERTY LIMITS
AND MATERIALS INDICES
4.2 SELECTION PROCEDURE
4.3 STRUCTURAL INDEX
4.4 MATERIALS SELECTION
WITHOUT SHAPE
4.1 Derivation of Property
Limit and Material
Indices

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PERFORMANCE INDICES…

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PERFORMANCE INDICES…

Functional Requirements – specified by design (tie must carry load;

spring provides restoring force etc)

Geometric Elements – components which perform physical function (ie.

carry load, transmit heat etc.) or satisfy Functional Requirements

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 Derivation of Material Indices

• Design requirements for a component defines to

prescription of materials through observation on
- function of component
- design constraints
- design objective
which is determined by designer in order to optimize the
component performance.

• Function, objective and constraints define the boundary

conditions for selecting a material.

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 Modes of Loading (without shape)

(a) Tension : Tie

(b) Bending : Beam

(c) Twisting : Shaft

(d) Compression : Column

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MATERIAL INDICES…

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 Function, Objective & Constraint
(design requirements)

Function What does component do?

Objective What is to be maximized or
minimized?
Constraints * What non-negotiable conditions
must be met?
What negotiable but desirable
conditions?

* It is sometimes useful to distinguish between ‘hard’

and ‘soft’ constraints. Stiffness and strength might be
absolute requirements (hard constraints); cost might be
negotiable (a soft constraint).

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 • Identify design requirements (function, objective
and constraints) for each product in the stated
cases studies.

Case 1 :
A design of cylindrical tie-rod of specified length
l, to carry a tensile force F without failure; it is
to be of minimum mass.

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 Case 2 :
Think of golf-club shafts. Consider, then, a light
beam of square section b x b and length l loaded in
Bending which must meet a constraint on its stiffness
S, meaning that it must not deflect more than 
under a load F .
F

b A

b l

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 Case 3 :
Consider the selection of a light beam for a strength
limited application. Deflection is acceptable
provided the component does not fail. The
dimensions are the same as the beam in case 2.

Case 4 :
We seek for the cheapest legs of a table (cylindrical
column) of a specified height, l, which will safely
support a load F.

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Case 1 :

Function Tie-rod
Objective Minimize the mass
Constraints (a) Length, l specified
(b) Support tensile load F without failing

Case 2 :
Function Beam
Objective Minimize the mass
Constraints (a) Length, l specified
(b) Support bending load F without
deflecting too much

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 Case 3 :

Function Beam
Objective Minimize the mass
Constraints (a) Length, l specified
(b) Support bending load F without
failing by yield or fracture

Case 4 :
Function Column
Objective Minimize the cost
Constraints (a) Height, l specified
(b) Support compressive load F
without buckling

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Procedure for deriving material indices
1. Define the design requirements:
a) Function: what does the component do?
b) Objective: what is to be maximized or minimized?
c) Constraints: essential requirements which must be met – stiffness, strength,
corrosion resistance, forming characteristics etc.

2. Develop an equation for the objective in terms of the functional

requirements, the geometry and the material properties (the objective
function)

3. Identify the free (unspecified) variables

4. Develop equations for the constraints (no yield; no fracture; no

buckling etc.)

5. Substitute for the free variables from the constraint equations into the
objective function

6. Group the variables into three groups: functional requirements (F),

geometry (G), and material properties (M), thus
– Performance characteristics  f1(F) f2(G) f3(M)
– Performance characteristics f1(F) f2(G) f3(M)

7. Read off the material index, expressed as a quantity M, which optimizes

the performance characteristics.

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MATERIAL INDICES…

Material index
- Combination of material
properties which characterizes the
performance of a material in a
given application.

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 • IS THE DESIGN ???

OVERCONSTRAINED – more constraints

than free parameters

FULLY DETERMINED – no. of constraints

is equal to the no. of free parameters

UNDERCONSTRAINED – less constraints

than free parameters

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 Case 1 :
• The cantilever beam (groanŠ) to the right is to be loaded in
torque with an end torque T around its center line. It has a
given length, L, and an unknown square cross section of b x b.
Under the torque load, the end of the beam rotates by THETA
radians.

• For this device to function properly, it must be as inexpensive

as possible. It also must not fail with the application of the
torque, and it must be stiff enough to not twist by more than
an angle of THETA max.

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 • Answer for Case 1 :

(i) Performance, p = 1/cost

(ii) OVERCONSTRAINED, because we have

two constraints (torque and deflection)
and only one free parameter (b- the width
and height of the beam).

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 Case 2 :
• A local theater effects company has been contracted to provide the stage
effects for the new Broadway Musical production of “Caspar, the Friendly
Ghost”. One of the effects involves an enormous ghost puppet, which is
manipulated through wires attached to a large crosspiece. The crosspiece
must support the substantial load of the puppet at the center of the main
beam (Fcenter), as well as control the puppet motion with wires attached to
the arms of the crosspiece, Frot.The central load problem is modeled as a
simply supported beam, while the puppet control requires a large torque at
the ends of the beam, which leads to a rotational deflection of the
backbone, THETA. Since the puppeteers must manipulate the crosspiece,
its weight is of significant concern.

• Because of your immense skill in materials selection, especially when

shape is involved, you have been subcontracted to select the materials for
the crosspiece

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 • Answer for Case 2 :

(i) Performance, p = 1/m

(ii) OVERCONSTRAINED, because there is one

free parameter (A, or d), and there are
two constraints (ROTATIONAL
DEFLECTION, and STRENGTH IN
BENDING).

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 4.2 Selection Procedure
4.3 Structural Index

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 4.2 Selection Procedure
Property limits: go/no-go conditions
and geometric restrictions

– Any design imposes certain non-negotiable

demand on material it is made:
• Temperature
• Electrical conductivity
• Corrosion resistance
• Cost

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Performance Maximizing Criteria

Modulus = 10 GPa

Density = 3 Mg/m3

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 4.3 Structural Index
• For example :

The development of the index for a cheap, stiff

column. The objective was that of minimizing
cost. The mechanical efficiency is a measure of
the load carried divided by the ‘objective’ – in this
case, cost per unit length. The efficiency of the
column is given by

F/(C/m) = (n/4)1/2(F/l2) 1/2(E/C

m)
1/2

structural index

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 4.4 Material Selection
Without Shape

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PERFORMANCE INDICES…

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Characteristic for selected
material:

1.  < 1 Mg/m3

2. f > 10 MPa

3. Minimum weight design,

C = f2/3/
= 27 MPa/Mg/m3

Selected areas for

potential materials

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Plot
M = T1/2/ = 2 K1/2/MPa

in the chart and

determine the slope
for the line

T1/2/  =2
 = T1/2/2

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Question ONE:
A particular design asks us to choose a material using M = E⅔ / ρ2.
For a plot of log ρ [x-axis] versus log E [y- axis], determine the
slope of the selection line.
Answer:
Take the log of both sides of the M equation and arrange as Y = A
+ BX:

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 Question TWO:
Assume a design of M =
E/ρ.
(a) Draw a line of M = 3
in the E-ρ chart.
(b) List all suitable
materials for M = 3

Answer:

* 1 GPa = 1000 MPa

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Question THREE:
Determine the subset of
materials with a Young’s
Modulus (E) greater than 100
GPa and a performance index
of M = σ2 / E greater than 100
MPa/GPa.

Answer:
- Plot E = 100.
- All materials with E > 100 are
suitable.
- Plot M = σ2 / E = 100
- σ = (100 E)½ = √(100 E)
- All materials with M > 100 are
suitable
- Sketch or mark the final
selection area within E >
100 and M > 100

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Question FOUR:
Sketch the search
region for E > 10 GPa
and KIC2 / E > 10
(MPa.m1/2/GPa).

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EXAMPLE :
Today we need to select a material for a diaphragm for a sensitive vacuum
gage. The diaphragm is a thin cylindrical disk of radius, R, and thickness, t.
With a pressure difference across the diaphragm, the disk deflects, and we
will measure the deflection to find the pressure difference. Assume the
radius and the thickness are free to vary, and that the design requires as
large a deflection as possible. The constraints are that the mass must be
less than mo kilograms, and it should not fail under the pressure load.
Given:

Center deflection of the diaphragm:

Maximum stress in the diaphragm:

Mass of the diaphragm:

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1) What is the measure of performance, p, for this design?

2) Is this design OVERCONSTRAINED, FULLY DETERMINED, or

UNDERCONSTRAINED, and why?

3) How many M values (materials selection criterion) should you have

for this design?

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4) On the selection chart below I have marked a selection line for a particular
design. What is the VALUE of the M for which this line is derived? (Be sure
to include the UNITS!)

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 • Now, to find the value of M for this line position, we only need to pick
off a point on the line and plug the values for X and Y into the
expression for M:

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