Cambridge Engineering Selector Research Articles

DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIAL SELECTION SOFTWARE FOR NON-FERROUS METALS

A huge number of materials are available to the modern engineer, but selecting the appropriate material for engineering application is a complex task. This work tries to solve the material selection problem by developing the material selection software. The software adopts the Multi Attribute Decision Making technique for the selection. An optimization criterion (goal programming) was introduced, and the software uses this to prioritize materials suitable for an application. The software contains a graphical user interface as front end and a database management system as back end. Database was created, and by writing structured query language statements, commands were executed by the database management system. Nonferrous materials with their properties were stored in the database. Management system uses the algorithm to search the database and select optimum material based on desired criteria input in the graphical user interface. The material selection software developed in this research work was tested for selection of material. A criterion for selecting material for connecting rod for motor bikes application was given. The software scanned through the database and searched for materials with range of these properties and optimizes each and ranked them. Results displayed two aluminum materials and found out that Aluminum 7075-T73 was the optimum material for the application. Software was validated using Granta Cambridge Engineering Selector software which showed that the material selection software developed in this work is valid for selection of materials.

Identification of potential applications for recycled polymeric multi-material

This research aims to characterise a recycled polymeric multi-material, explore potential areas of application for it and analyse the eventual impacts of the introduction of this new recycled material (NRM) on end-of-life activities. Thus, this research presents a practical study regarding recycled polymeric multi-material from toothbrushes. A preliminary characterisation (via density determination, tensile test and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis – DMTA) and data analysis using the Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES-Edupack 2013) software have been done. The study also presents an analysis of the impacts of introducing the NRM into end-of-life activities. Results shows that, based on the properties considered in this study, NRM may have potential for new applications. The impact on recycling networks indicates that it is a positive solution that would improve process variable efficiencies, maintaining material value as long as possible in industrial closed-loop life cycles. However, an in loco analysis of the treatment of waste containing the NRM is necessary.

Sustainability Analysis of Prototyping Processes

Development of prototypes draws major focus in contemporary manufacturing organisations. Sustainability analysis and comparison of the prototype manufacturing process plays a vital role in deciding the sustainability level of the product. Sustainability of prototyping depends on model building material and model building process. In this paper based on the customer requirements, Environmental Conscious Quality Function Deployment (ECQFD) was carried out. Increased lives, strength, reduced toxicity of material with biodegradability were the major outputs of ECQFD. Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) and Grey Relation Analysis (GRA) were used for material selection. Wood, ABS, Poly Lactic acid (PLA) and Lead were selected as cost efficient materials for the case product. A CAD model of the case product was developed and subjected to Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) using solid works sustainability express for the above materials. Prototypes of the case products where produced by wood carving, casting, CNC Milling and 3D printing by considering all input parameters required across each process. LCA was conducted using GaBi for the above process and the results were compared. From this study, it was observed that the case product developed using PLA with 3D printing technology had very less impact on environment and is considered as the best and cost effective prototyping method.

Material Selection of an Elastomer Capable of Absorbing Vibrations Actuated by a 4D Movie Theater

The objective was to investigate possible vibration isolator solutions for a 4D entertainment theater. The paper focused on resolving a vibration leakage issue experienced by customers of Company A which manufactures tactile motion actuators for 4D theater entertainment purposes. The investigation started by utilizing Cambridge Engineering Selector software to determine the value of the mechanical loss factor for given materials. Elastomers had the best mechanical loss coefficient, specifically polyurethanes. While considering the specifications provided by Company A, certain parameters such as nominal load withstanding and prices were considered. After investigating the materials thoroughly, Sorbothane showed the best performance along with suitable prices. The vibrational system investigated resulted in a frequency ratio of 6, and a transmissibility of 2.86% at normal conditions, which indicates that the material selected was suitable. Sorbothane material at shore 00 and durometer 50 showed its capability to withstand maximum nominal loading at 635 kg (1400 lbs). This was 57% higher than the targeted loading. The mechanical loss factor was 0.52 at 50-Hz excitation frequency, which was high enough to dissipate excessive vibrations.

The effect of cost-fewer nanoparticles on the electrical properties of polyvinyl chloride

This paper leads to synthesize new electrical insulating polyvinyl chloride nanocomposites to achieve more cost-effective, energy-effective and hence innovate better environmental materials using nanotechnology techniques. It has been investigated simulations and experimental work for studying the effect of cost-fewer nanoparticles on electric properties (resistance and susceptance) of the new resin system nanocomposites. Cambridge Engineering Selector program was carried out the electrical/mechanical predictable models for the suggested materials. In addition, it has been compared between electrical, thermal and mechanical characterization of new polyvinyl chloride nanocomposites with the same unfilled industrial materials within variant frequencies up to 1 kHz.

Design and Numerical Analysis of a Roof-Mounted Bicycle Carrier

The purpose of this paper is to present the design process and subsequent numerical analysis calculations of a new roof-mounted bicycle carrier for vehicles. The bicycle carrier is mounted on the vehicles longitudinal bars. The designed construction is subjected to both static and dynamic load sets to check if it meets the requirements of ISO 11154 norm – which specifies the minimum safety requests for roof load carrier intended for mounting on the roof of passengers cars and light commercial vehicles with a maximum authorized total mass up to 3,5t. To fulfil the specifications associated to safety, standards and traffic laws test four different software packages were used: CATIA V5 and NACA airfoil generator for designing, Cambridge Engineering Selector for choosing the most suitable materials and Abaqus CAE for Finite Element Analysis.

Predictable Models and Experimental Measurements for Electric Properties of Polypropylene Nanocomposite Films

<span>This paper processed and characterized cost-fewer polypropylene (PP) nanocomposite films; an experimental work has been investigated for studying the electric properties of the new nanocomposite materials and compared with unfilled industrial materials in a frequency range up to 1 kHz. A small addition of nanoparticles (clay, and fumed silica) to polypropylene showed appreciable improvement in the electric reactance and conductance at different frequency up to 1kHz, in addition, an electric spectroscopy has been measured the electric properties of polypropylene with and without nanoparticles under variant temperatures (20°C, and 60°C). Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) program were carried out the electrical/mechanical predictable models for the suggested materials. Finally, this paper leads to synthesize electrical insulating polypropylene nanocomposite films where the electrical properties are properly maintained in order to achieve more cost-effective, energy-effective and hence environmentally better materials for the electrical insulation technology.</span>

Predictable Models and Experimental Measurements for Electric Properties of Polypropylene Nanocomposite Films

<span>This paper processed and characterized cost-fewer polypropylene (PP) nanocomposite films; an experimental work has been investigated for studying the electric properties of the new nanocomposite materials and compared with unfilled industrial materials in a frequency range up to 1 kHz. A small addition of nanoparticles (clay, and fumed silica) to polypropylene showed appreciable improvement in the electric reactance and conductance at different frequency up to 1kHz, in addition, an electric spectroscopy has been measured the electric properties of polypropylene with and without nanoparticles under variant temperatures (20°C, and 60°C). Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) program were carried out the electrical/mechanical predictable models for the suggested materials. Finally, this paper leads to synthesize electrical insulating polypropylene nanocomposite films where the electrical properties are properly maintained in order to achieve more cost-effective, energy-effective and hence environmentally better materials for the electrical insulation technology.</span>

EFFECT OF MODIFIED KAOLINITE BY USING FATTY ACIDS ON NR- AND SBR-REINFORCED COMPOSITES

ABSTRACTNatural rubber (NR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR)–kaolinite clay (KC) composites (NR-KC and SBR-KC) were synthesized and characterized. The interfacial surface between rubber and KC was investigated in the presence of stearic acid (SA), palmitic acid (PA), and oleic acid (OA) coupling agents. A monolayer of modifiers was formed on the surface of KC particles. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was carried out to study the effect of fatty acid coupling agents on KC. Modifier concentrations were determined using an adsorption isotherms technique. Sedimentation rate and volumes of modified KC in toluene were measured. Rheometric characteristic and physico-mechanical properties of rubber composites were investigated. Stress–strain behavior and hardness of NR-KC and SBR-KC composites were studied. Experimental results were compared with calculated results using the Cambridge Engineering Selector program. The XRD patterns showed a decrease in the peak intensity of unmodified KC compared with modified KC, asserting an intercalation process. The optimum concentrations of chemical modifiers are 16 × 10−5, 18 × 10−5, and 37 × 10−5 mol/g for SA, OA, and PA, respectively. Mechanical testing showed that high tensile strength can be obtained in the presence of the SA modifier. The degree and kinetics of equilibrium swelling and soluble fraction for NR and SBR vulcanizates were investigated.

Synthesis, fabrication and mechanical characterization of reinforced epoxy and polypropylene composites for wind turbine blades

Failure of wind turbine blades usually originates from manufacturing defects or in-service defects. In this study, materials selection for manufacturing of wind turbine blades was carried out based on the mechanical and physical results obtained using the Cambridge Engineering Selector program. Thermoplastic and thermosetting composites were synthesized and processed using injection molding and vacuum assisted resin infusion techniques, respectively. Operating conditions (vacuum pressure and temperature) were optimized. The manufactured samples were tested and evaluated using destructive tests. Tensile and fatigue tests were carried out. Polypropylene random discontinuous glass fiber composites were synthesized and processed using mold injection technique. Epoxy-carbon, glass and carbon/Kevlar hybrid fiber composites were manufactured using vacuum assisted resin infusion technique. Surface morphology was characterized using scanning electron microscope analysis. Tensile strength and fatigue resistance were significantly improved by the presence of E-glass fiber (30 wt%) in polypropylene-glass fiber composites. The experimental results were compared with the Cambridge Engineering selector software database. Epoxy-carbon (carbon fiber fraction is 0.61) and carbon/Kevlar hybrid (fibers fraction is 0.6) composites showed superior mechanical properties. Epoxy/carbon composite can withstand stresses up to 1390 MPa at 106 cycles.

Materials selection for eco-aware lightweight friction material

In the automotive industry, non-asbestos based components, such as brake pads, have been in high demand due to environmental and human health concerns. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to select an alternative friction material, which is eco-aware lightweight, cost effective, and non-toxic. This will be accomplished using Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) Edupack software, embedded within an Eco-Audit Tool. For verification, a comparative study using the Pugh method was also investigated. The results show that Kenaf, which is a commodity plant in Malaysia, is the most suitable alternative friction material that passes all of the design stages and consumes less energy, compared to asbestos and other potential materials.

Materials Selection Strategy and Surface Treatment of Polymer Composites for Wind Turbine Blades Fabrication

In the present work the optimal materials selection for wind turbine blades using the Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) program was carried out. Materials indices were derived, based on the mechanical, physical properties and environmental circumstances. Glass and carbon fibre reinforced plastics (epoxy matrix) showed high materials indices based on combined analysis of power and efficiency, fracture toughness, fatigue and thermal stability. Epoxy-glass fibre (EGF) and epoxy-carbon fibre (ECF) composites were manufactured and investigated. Surface of glass and carbon fibre was chemically modified using gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (Silane A1100) coupling agent. The fibre content was varied between 12 to 70% w/w. It is found that the addition of (Silane A1100) as a compatibilizer caused further amelioration of the fibre/matrix bonding resulting in improved mechanical behaviour, which was also, assessed using scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical properties of treated and untreated epoxy composites were illustrated using CES program. Tensile strength of EGF composites was varied based on fibres surface treatment and loadings. Tensile strength of silane treated EGF (70% wt/wt) increased to 1.46 GPa comparing with 1.38 GPa of untreated EGF. The potential and applications of this class of composite materials promise a significant opportunity for improving structural properties of wind turbine blades.

Materials Selection, Synthesis, and Dielectrical Properties of PVC Nanocomposites

Materials selection process for electrical insulation application was carried out using Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) program. Melt mixing technique was applied to prepare polyvinyl-chloride- (PVC-) nanofumed silica and nanomontmorillonite clay composites. Surface analysis and particles dispersibility were examined using scanning electron microscope. Dielectrical properties were assessed using Hipot tester. An experimental work for dielectric loss of the nanocomposite materials has been investigated in a frequency range of 10 Hz–50 kHz. The initial results using CES program showed that microparticles of silica and clay can improve electrical insulation properties and modulus of elasticity of PVC. Nano-montmorillonite clay composites were synthesized and characterized. Experimental analyses displayed that trapping properties of matrix are highly modified by the presence of nanofillers. The nanofumed silica and nanoclay particles were dispersed homogenously in PVC up to 10% wt/wt. Dielectric loss tangent constant of PVC-nanoclay composites was decreased successfully from 0.57 to 0.5 at 100 Hz using fillers loading from 1% to 10% wt/wt, respectively. Nano-fumed silica showed a significant influence on the electrical resistivity of PVC by enhancing it up to 1 × 1011 Ohm·m.

Design Optimization of Thermal Management System for Electric VehicleUtilizing CFD Analysis, DFMEA and CES

Thermal management design for electric vehicles (EV) is very important in order to manage the thermal dissipated by operating components. This research aims at performing design optimization of a thermal management system for battery modules, controller and electric motor in EV. A combination of passive and active cooling systems is proposed where air cooled is used in battery modules, water cooling for controller and water jacket for electric motor. Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (DFMEA) method is deployed to identify the potential failure modes and causes so that improvements can be made for battery modules, controller and electric motor. The design for all of the components and the thermal management system were done with CATIA V5. The material selections process for the designs was based on the analysis using Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES EduPack). Final design was utilizing water cooled for electric motor and controller while using air cooled for battery modules. It was found that best material for electric motor and controller water jacket is with aluminum alloy 6060 while air cooled ducting using High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) and battery housing using Polycyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate (PCT). The thermal management system for battery modules is simulated using ANSYS CFD software. Results from simulation were validated with manual calculation and have shown good agreement based on the data collected at various vehicle speeds.

An intelligent system based on concurrent engineering for innovative product design at the conceptual design stage

This paper describes the development of an intelligent system based on concurrent engineering for generating design alternatives at the conceptual design stage. The proposed system encompasses a design analysis module, a design evaluation module, a knowledge acquisition and storing module, a user interface and databases. It is also integrated with a spreadsheet application for storing data and numerical analysis and works in combination with a material selection software Cambridge engineering selector (CES) to facilitate the material selection process. The tangible advantage of implementing this system is that it enables the designer to explore and experiment with alternative ideas in the early design stage, and it results in design solutions that are functionally sound- and cost-effective. It also has the capability for design alternatives evaluation, material selection and modelling the product detailed design on the computer-aided design system. Therefore, an efficient product development process is generated. Three case studies are demonstrated and discussed to validate the proposed system.

EcoAudit: a Renewed Simplified Procedure to Facilitate the Environmentally Informed Material Choice Orienting the Further Life Cycle Analysis for Ecodesigners

Design process determines 80% of the whole environmental impact generated by a product or service. This paper intends to describe a simplified renewed procedure for the analysis and selection of materials capable of providing fast and reliable information to those designers that are interested to minimize the life-cycle environmental burden of products and services, the so called EcoAudit. The here presented EcoAudit procedure assesses the burden associated to a component/product by means of a customized set of environmental impact indicators, without exploring all parameters that are usually provided by a LCA study. The set of environmental impact indicators that are here adopted for this purpose are the energy consumption (energy breakdown in terms of direct and indirect contributors, MJ per functional unit), the global warming potential (in terms of CO2 equiv per functional unit) and the end of life possibilities (in terms of effective practicable scenarios, i.e. of recycling). The first two indicators may be intended as ‘‘key environmental performance indicators’’ (‘‘KEPIs’’). This approach allows a fast preliminary ranking of materials and processes identifying the most relevant critical phases of a system, making the ecodesign process really starting. The integration within the Cambridge Engineering Selector 2009 EcoAudit tool allows to search and browse materials data, calculating the environmental load in a real time. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MH200918]

Independent learning using the Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) EduPack software with large class sizes

The Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) EduPack software has been used in undergraduate teaching at the University of Birmingham since 2006 for materials selection courses with small class sizes (...

Computer aided material selection for circular tubes designed to resist axial crushing

We consider optimal design of cylindrical shells under axial compression. The main motivation is the comprehensive study of Weaver and Ashby [Material limits for shape efficiency. Progress in Materials Science 1997;41:61–128] concerning tubes designed to resist local buckling, global buckling and yield. In this paper we add another mode to this set of possible failure mechanisms, namely axial crushing. This failure-mode turns out to be dominate for many materials in several relevant load-cases. In many cases, taking this mode into account changes the optimal design substantially. By analyzing the formulae for the failure-modes we obtain piecewise defined functions describing the optimal cross-section and the minimum mass of the tube. Combined with advanced computer aided material selection tools like the Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES), these functions enable us to identify the best possible materials which give the lightest possible tubes.

Virtual modelling of a prosthetic foot to improve footwear testing

The footwear industry is continually producing more technically engineered shoes, therefore, it is necessary to improve existing laboratory footwear tests using simplistic rigid stamps to something more realistic. The aim of this article is to investigate the possibility of reverse engineering a standard commercially available component accurately enough to produce constructive results in a finite-element analysis (FEA). A prosthetic foot was chosen as it is commercially available and is more representative of a real foot. Information on its geometry and material properties were gathered using a non-destructive method. X-ray images and three-dimensional laser scanning were used to capture the dimensions of the internal and external geometries, whereas the vickers microhardness test and volume and mass calculations were used along with the Cambridge Engineering Selector software to identify material properties. To validate the finite-element prosthetic foot, a vertical heel compression and a forefoot flexibility laboratory test were conducted and mimicked in an FEA software package. Good and fair agreements were found in the two tests, respectively. It is concluded that a non-destructive approach to reverse engineer a standard component is an effective method of improving the realism of existing footwear tests both in reality and in finite-element situations.

A material selection model based on the concept of multiple attribute decision making

Replacing and selecting materials for different engineering applications is relatively common. It must be noted that in some cases, there is more than a single definite criterion for selecting the right kind of material. The designers and engineers have to take into account a large number of material selection criteria. Experts usually apply trial and error methods or build on previous experimentation. In this paper, a new approach has been carried out for the use of the ELECTRE: ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalité (ELimination and Choice Expressing the REality) model in material selection. By producing a material selection decision matrix and criteria sensitivity analysis, ELECTRE has been applied to obtain a more precise material selection for a particular application, including logical ranking of considered materials. A list of all possible choices from the best to the worst suitable materials can be obtained taking into account all the material selection criteria, including the cost of production. This work shows that ELECTRE can be used successfully in selecting a suitable material for the particular application of a loaded thermal conductor. There is good agreement between the results of the methods being used and available data in Cambridge Engineering Selector (CES) databases. A computer program, Mathematica has been developed to facilitate the application of the method to other types of material selection problems.