Material Selection Methodology Research Articles

A decision-making methodology for material selection using genetic algorithm

Material selection is a challenging task for designers due to the immense number of different materials available today. Choosing the right materials plays an important role in numerous engineering applications because an inappropriate selection of materials can significantly affect the performance of the final product. As a result, a number of techniques have been proposed to select materials in the engineering design process. However, most of the proposed systems are knowledge intensive and cannot deal with the situation where the information of weight criteria is incomplete or unknown. So, in this paper a logical approach is presented for choosing an optimal material by employing the genetic algorithm. The proposed material selection procedure reduces the personal bias for assigning the weight of different attributes. Seven examples are included to demonstrate the applicability of the suggested approach. The findings of this work provide the insights for further researches on more complicated design problems such as simultaneous material selection and geometry optimisation.

A decision-making methodology for material selection using genetic algorithm

A decision-making methodology for material selection using genetic algorithm

Material Selection Methodology for Additive Manufacturing Applications

As Additive Manufacturing (AM) opens new doors to manufacture products that are costlier to manufacture by traditional methods, material selection for feedstock in AM processes poses significant importance. Although there has been research advances in material usage in AM technologies, optimal selection of AM materials has not been thoroughly researched. As there are many candidate materials for any application starting with a range of polymers, the most common AM material’s type, metals and ceramics, this paper introduces an integrated heuristic and mathematical algorithms for optimizing the material selection for different AM applications. In addition, a material selection matrix is developed to rank recommended materials based on weighted criteria depending on the application. The developed matrix through the selection algorithms enable AM users to make informed material selection decisions.

A fuzzy based hybrid multi criteria decision making methodology for phase change material selection in electronics cooling system

Abstract The phase change material (PCM) selection plays a vital role in successful designing of electronic cooling systems. Since large numbers of competitive materials are available today, with each having its own characteristics, applications, advantages, and limitations, the decision for selecting a suitable PCM involves several evaluation criteria. In this article, a novel hybrid multi criteria decision making (MCDM) model is proposed for evaluating a suitable PCM for thermal management systems. The decision model consists of 10 alternative materials with eight evaluation criteria. The Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) - integrated with Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I KompromisnoResenje (VIKOR) and Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) are proposed and applied in the numerical example. The results obtained from FAHP-TOPSIS, FAHP-VIKOR and FAHP- PROMETHEE are compared. The results show that RT-80 is the apt material for thermal management of power electronic devices.

Large-format polymeric pellet-based additive manufacturing for the naval industry

Polymeric Pellet-Based Additive Manufacturing (PPBAM) systems are increasing in the field of 3D printing as a result of the evolution of additive technologies as their development process consolidates and expands. New opportunities for industrial integration of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies are identified, including AM of large polymeric parts. The PPBAM process consists of adapting a pellet-fed extrusion mechanism to a displacement system, either a Cartesian mechanism or a robotic arm system, building parts in a multi-layered approach. This use is justified by the extruded filament sizes required and the material costs when facing large-format prints. In this article, a pellet extrusion based printer prototype is presented together with a case study. The case study consists of the development of a two cubic meter capacity plastic part for the naval industry with a topology optimization design approach and material selection and validation methodology for a large-volume pellet based extrusion system. Two functional prototypes were developed with the selected materials from the explained methodology a PLA and a flame retardant ABS, and post processed to full fill the actual product´s specifications.

Material selection methodology for radio frequency (RF) microelectromechanical (MEMS) capacitive shunt switch

This paper describes the process of selecting the most optimum Radio Frequency Micro- electro- mechanical-systems (RF-MEMS) switch design using Ashby’s methodology. The switches are compared on the basis of parameters like actuation voltage, insertion loss, isolation and switching time using material selection charts. The chart shows that a low-voltage metal-to-metal contact shunt capacitive RF-MEMS having a bridge structure with Si-GaAs substrate, electroplated gold contacts and silicon nitride dielectric layer, is the most optimum of all the switches considered.

Material Selection and Structural Integration of Actively Cooled High Speed Combustion Chamber

Thermal management in the supersonic combustion chambers subjected to high heat fluxes is vital for maintaining their integrity. At high temperatures ordinary materials cannot sustain the high heat loads. On the other hand, the prevailing high temperature gradients, necessitates the provision for expansion to avoid build of thermal stresses for the integration. Hence, thermal management needs a holistic approach encompassing the areas of material selection, heat transfer and structural integration. The current state of art research is focused on achieving this by active cooling through endothermic fuel, which is used as a coolant due to the advantages such as reduced weight and improved heat sink capacities. Particularly the space applications pose serious limitations on the weight. 1D thermo-structural hand calculations can be easy point to start with to arrive at the optimized shape of the single actively cooled channel. But the underlying assumptions and owing to the 1D nature of the such calculations, pose limitation towards understanding the behavior of the active panel as a whole and achieving the practical integration strategy. Therefore, there is need to perform 3D CFD and FEA thermo-structural analysis of the active panel structure. This paper extends upon the approach of 1D analytical material selection methodology through weight optimization followed by rigorous CFD and FEA analysis to understand and device ways for structural integration for long duration flight of about 600 seconds.

Gigahertz-Band Integrated Magnetic Inductors

The demand on mobile electronics to continue to shrink in size while increase in efficiency drives the demand on the internal passive components to do the same. Power amplifiers require inductors with small form factors, high quality factors, and high operating frequency in the single-digit GHz range. This work explores the use of magnetic materials to satisfy the needs of power amplifier inductor applications. This paper discusses the optimization choices regarding material selection, device design, and fabrication methodology. The inductors achieved here present the best performance to date for an integrated magnetic core inductor at high frequencies with a 1 nH inductance and peak quality factor of 4 at ~3 GHz. Such compact inductors show potential for efficiently meeting the need of mobile electronics in the future.

An investigation of dielectric material selection of RF-MEMS switches using Ashby’s methodology for RF applications

This paper presents a dielectric material selection methodology for RF-MEMS switch used for radio frequency applications. Here Ashby's material selection approach is used to optimize the performance indices of RF-MEMS switch such as dielectric charging, stability, hold down voltage and RF performance. In this work, dielectric constant (źr), electrical resistivity (ź), thermal conductivity (ź), thermal expansion coefficient (ź), Young's Modulus (E) are chosen as material indices of dielectric layer in RF-MEMS switch to evaluate the various performance indices. The Ashby's material selection charts shows that Al2O3 and SiN are the best suitable material for dielectric layer in RF-MEMS switches to exhibit improved performance for radio frequency applications.

Decision Making Methodology for Heat Sink Material Selection Using a Compromise Ranking and Outranking Method under Fuzzy Environment

This paper proposes judicious selection of heat sink materials by extensive evaluation under consideration of numerous alternative materials and evaluation criteria. This enhances the reliability and life of modern electronic devices. Thermal management of electronic devices relies on stabilizing the component temperature at an acceptable level. A hierarchical decision making framework structure based on novel hybrid fuzzy set theory combined with multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model is formed. A fuzzy analytic hierarchical process (FAHP) is more realistic to use linguistic terms to describe the expectation value, perception value and important weight of evaluation criteria. This study comprises six alternatives and seven criteria such as thermal conductivity, density, specific heat, melting point, latent heat of fusion, thermal expansion and cost. The results obtained from FAHP-TOPSIS and FAHP- VIKOR is compared with each other. These results help the designer to choose the apt heat sink material for designing and developing electronic packages.

Investigations on high-κ dielectrics for low threshold voltage and low leakage zinc oxide thin-film transistor, using material selection methodologies

This paper presents the investigations on high-κ dielectrics for low operating voltage and low leakage zinc oxide thin film transistor (ZnO TFT) using three material selection methodologies namely Ashby, technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenjein in Serbian (VIKOR). Various material properties such as dielectric constant, conduction band offset to ZnO, band-gap and temperature coefficient mismatch of high κ to ZnO are investigated to find out the most promising gate dielectric material. The analysis concludes that lanthanum oxide (La2O3) is the most promising gate dielectric material for ZnO TFT transistor. The result shows a good agreement between Ashby’s, TOPSIS and VIKOR approaches.

Assessment of MR compatibility and machinability using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method for material selection of MR device

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo develop magnetic resonance (MR) robot used in the magnetic field environment, materials selected for manufacturing robot should have good MR compatibility and machinability. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly urgent to develop an evaluation method considering the above two factors at the same time.MethodsA series of experiments were done to study the interaction between the magnetic field of MR scanner and the material samples, and to determine the samples’ machinability. Four kinds of materials including metal and plastics with different geometric shape were used to test the artifacts, force and torque in magnetic resonance image (MRI) tube according to standard method. Three items including surface roughness, cutting force and chip shape were analyzed to evaluate the machinability of four samples. The fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was adopted to process these experimental data for choosing the most suitable robot material in MR environment.ResultsThe quantized values of MR compatibility and machinability are achieved, and a new methodology for material selection are developed, which provides systematic guideline for engineer and researcher to choose suitable robot materials used in an MRI tube. Polyformaldehyde of four kinds of material is determined to be the most suitable one for MR robots or devices.ConclusionA thorough examination of four commonly used engineering materials has been discussed and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method is suitable for choosing MR compatible robot materials. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part B (Magn Reson Engineering) 45B: 1–12, 2015

Investigation on microwave dielectric materials for dielectric resonator antennas

In this paper, a theoretical and practical investigation on microwave dielectric materials for wideband dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) is presented. Due to the variety of materials available to antenna designers, a proper technique to select the best possible material is required. In this paper Ashby's material selection methodology is used for dielectric material based antenna systems. Four primary performance indices, impedance bandwidth (BW), the size of the antenna (λ), radiation efficiency (η) and resonance frequency (f0), are used to obtain the desired performance. The selection chart shows that Roger TMM10, (er = 9.8) is the most suitable material followed by Roger's TMM10i and RO3010 for DRAs to provide the best performance for wideband applications. Performances of antenna are verified with rectangular and hybrid design of DRA in terms of reflection coefficients, radiation pattern, gain and efficiency. Theoretical work is compared with the simulation and the close agreement between the two, confirm the validity of this study.

Not all approved antibiotic-loaded PMMA bone cement brands are the same: ranking using the utility materials selection concept.

In the literature on in vitro characterization of approved antibiotic-loaded poly(methyl methacrylate) bone cement brands, there is no information on the basis for selection of a given brand for use in cemented arthroplasties. This shortcoming is addressed in the present study. It involved determining four key properties (fatigue limit, fracture toughness, polymerization rate, and phosphate buffered saline diffusion coefficient) for six brands and then using the mean property values, in conjunction with a materials selection methodology, called the utility concept, to rank the brands. It is emphasized that the present work is an illustration of a rational approach to selection of a cement brand and, as such, the study findings are not intended to be recommendations regarding clinical use or otherwise of a brand.

A decision making methodology for material selection in sugar industry using hybrid MCDM techniques

Corrosion and wear contributes a major role for frequent failures of pipes in sugar industry. The selection of suitable material is mandatory to overcome the aforementioned problems. This paper describes an application of multi criteria decision making (MCDM) technique for selection of suitable material for pipes to reduce the corrosive wear in sugar industry. The proposed MCDM technique involves fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) integrated with technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (in Serbian) (VIKOR) techniques. FAHP is used to determine the criteria weights, whereas TOPSIS and VIKOR used to find the performance ranking of the alternative materials. This study focuses on five stainless steel grades such as J4, JSLAUS, J204Cu, 409M, 304 and seven evaluation criteria such as yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, percentage of elongation, hardness, cost, corrosion rate and wear rate to select the appropriate material.

Computational analysis and material selection in cross-section of a composite wind turbine blade

In wind turbines, blades are critical design members because performance depends on blade material, shape, twist angle, etc. The problem of internal, mechanical design and material selection for a prototypical high-power horizontal axis wind turbine blade under static, flap-wise loading is investigated in this study. At first a materials selection methodology has been proposed. A very detailed computational analysis based on finite element modes is developed representing the load-carrying box girder of the blade with a given airfoil shape, size, and the type and position of the interior load-bearing longitudinal beams–shear webs. Results concerning displacements and stresses are generated using both plane and shell elements with linear and nonlinear analyses.

Incorporating spatiotemporal effects and moisture diffusivity into a multi-criteria materials selection methodology for wood–polymer composites

Naturally occurring biopolymers have demonstrated suitability for use in wood–polymer composites (WPCs), which have the potential to replace petroleum-based plastics, wood, and engineered-wood materials in construction applications. However, widespread applicability of WPCs remains limited because of long-term durability concerns, especially in high-humidity and wet environments. Using an outdoor deck as a case-study, this research presents the development and implementation of a durability-based service-life model that simulates in-situ environmental exposure conditions, moisture diffusion, and mechanical degradation of conventional and fully biorenewable WPCs. Modeling results were used to develop material comparison charts that simultaneously consider environmental impact and long-term, in-service performance.

Polymer modified bitumen: Optimization and selection

Polymer modification of bitumen has been commonly performed since the 1980s in order to decrease bitumen (and pavement) susceptibility to high and low temperatures, allowing reduction in common failure mechanisms as rutting and cracking. Bitumen modification has been commonly performed by addition of thermoplastic or elastomeric polymers. However, there are just a few studies on bitumen blends using multiple materials, seeking for specific advantages provided by addition of these modifiers. This work describes the results obtained after the preparation of multicomponent polymer-bitumen blends (MC) based on an 80/100 penetration grade bitumen with varying amounts of (i) Polyethylene wax (PW); (ii) Styrene–Butadiene–Styrene copolymer (SBS); and (iii) crumb rubber (CR). Ideal blends depending on the amount of polymer modifiers added were found by using an experimental design procedure. It was possible to propose charts allowing optimizing and selecting appropriate polymer modified bitumens (PMB) depending on target properties for a given application by following Ashby’s materials selection methodology.

Introduction of a New Software Package in Teaching Design Methodology for Material Selection

Material selection is an integral part of engineering design. As such, this topic is included in most advanced engineering design units in the Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. However, students often find this topic difficult and confusing due to the lack of overall knowledge required for the task. This paper describes the introduction of a new software package in a design methodology unit for material selection that provides additional knowledge and hands-on experience to students, which can be applied in their professional lives. The software package introduced three forms of education delivery: lecture, tutorial, and assignment activities. It was found that the introduction of the CES EduPack software package for material and process selection significantly improved students' learning.

A combination of data analytic and compensatory methodology for material selection in sugar manufacturing industry

Material selection is an important activity in manufacturing industry. An improper selection of materials leads to affect the productivity and profitability of the organisation. The aim of this paper is to apply the hybrid MCDM approach for the selection of suitable material for pipes to reduce the corrosive wear. The proposed MCDM approach involves FAHP with GRA-TOPSIS. FAHP is used to determine the criteria weights and GRA-TOPSIS used to find the performance ranking of alternative materials. The FAHP-TOPSIS is also applied to the same numerical example to show the effectiveness of the proposed model.