Materials Selection

With the nearly limitless range of materials available to the engineer, designer, or architect, how is a rational materials selection made for products, components, and structures? Many questions should be asked when selecting possible materials for an engineering application, including:

• Does the material possess the necessary properties (mechanical, electrical, thermal, etc.)
• Do the material properties alter over time in service?
• Is the material adversely affected by the environmental conditions and will it resist corrosion and other forms of attack?
• Can the material be formed to the desired shape?
• Is the appearance of the material suitable (aesthetically)?
• Is the material suitable from a reliability and quality standpoint?
• Can the product be manufactured from the material at an acceptable cost?
• Can the material be recycled?

Compromise is the rule, and not the exception, in materials selection. Materials selection is not simply a matter of making decisions about cost and materials properties. The selection of an engineering material is an integral process that requires an understanding of interactions between many factors. These factors include the following:

• Functional requirements and constraints.
• Material properties.
• Manufacturing process considerations.
• Fabricability.
• Design configuration.
• Available and alternate materials.
• Corrosion and degradation in service.
• Thermal stability.
• And finally and importantly, Cost.

With its experienced staff of Ph.D’s and professional materials engineers and scientists, MATCO is ready to assist the engineering and design communities in top-flight scientific materials selection.