Factors considered for selection of composite materials

MATERIAL SELECTION PROCEDURE FOR COMPONENTS

For selection a material for a particular
application, one has to take into consideration various physical and mechanical
properties of the material. Selection of material for a manufacturing process
is an important decision. In many instances, the selection of a specific
material can even dictate the manufacturing process
to be used. The selection of material also has an influence on the final cost of
the product. It is important to note that the materialย ย  cost accounts to approximately 50% of the manufacturing
cost. Hence, selection
of manufacturing
process for a material must be made with the due care. The stepwise
approach for material selection is as follows:

1.ย Initially material requirement is
identified by keeping in view overall objectives of the part for which the
selection of material is made. These objectives can be referred with reference
to cost, durability, life, etc.

2.ย The material requirements are identified through a number of materials.
For example, low specific weight requirement is met by aluminium and
also by nylon. Make a list of all such materials that meet all or most of the, requirements.

3.ย In case when more than one material
appears to be suitable, the final choice should
be determined by considering influencing factors and restrictions like
availability of raw material, cost, inhibitions of aesthetics, and so on. For
example, when we want to select a material for manufacturing coins, the
requirements are: the material should possess good ductility, hardness, corrosion
resistance, high plasticity, and should be light in weight. The list of
materials that satisfy these requirements is large including gold, silver, copper, and their alloys. Final selection may be made taking into consideration cost and availability. As another example, one uses stainless steel for manufacturing shaving
razor blades because the material selected should
have good malleability (ability to be hammered into thin sheets),
corrosion resistance, more
abrasive resistance, and economical. The edge may be alloyed to make it hard
and retain sharpness.

The material selection procedure for the
following products is given as under.

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