M A T E R I A L I N S P I R A T I O N
Solution Manual:
Material Selection
for
Mechanical Design
4th Edition
Cambridge
University
Version MFA 10
, Materials selection in mechanical design, 4th edition
Exercises with worked solutions
Mike Ashby
Engineering Department,
Cambridge, CB2 1 PZ, UK
March 2010
Contents
E1. Introduction to exercises
E2 Material evolution in products (Chapter 1)
E3. Devising concepts (Chapter 2)
E4. Using material properties (Chapter 3)
E5. Using material selection charts (Chapter 4)
E6. Translation: constraints and objectives (Chapters 5 and 6)
E7. Deriving and using material indices (Chapters 5 and 6)
E8. Multiple constraints and objectives (Chapters 7 and 8)
E 9. Selecting material and shape (Chapters 9 and 10)
E10. Hybrid materials (Chapters 11 and 12)
E11. Selecting processes (Chapters 13 and 14)
E12. Materials and the environment (Chapter 15)
www.grantadesign.com/education/resources -1-
,E1 Introduction to exercises
These exercises are designed to develop facility in selecting 3. A request for a selection based on one material index alone (such
as M = E / ρ ) is correctly answered by listing the subset of
materials, processes and shape, and in devising hybrid materials when
no monolithic material completely meets the design requirements.
Each exercise is accompanied by a worked solution. They are materials that maximize this index. But a request for a selection of
organized into the twelve sections listed on the first page. materials for a component – a wing spar, for instance (which is a
light, stiff beam, for which the index is M = E / ρ ) – requires
more: some materials with high E / ρ such as silicon carbide,
The early exercises are easy. Those that follow lead the reader
through the use of material properties and simple solutions to
mechanics problems, drawing on data and results contained in are unsuitable for obvious reasons. It is a poor answer that
Appendices A and B; the use of material property charts; techniques for ignores common sense and experience and fails to add further
the translation of design requirement to identify constraints and constraints to incorporate them. Students should be encouraged
objectives; the derivation of indices, screening and ranking, multi- to discuss the implications of their selection and to suggest further
objective optimization; coupled choice of material and shape; devising selection stages.
hybrids; and the choice of materials to meet environmental criteria.
The best way to use the charts that are a feature of the book is to
Three important points. make clean copies (or down-load them from
http://www.grantadesign.com ) on which you can draw, try out
1. Selection problems are open-ended and, generally, under- alternative selection criteria, write comments and so forth. Although
specified; there is seldom a single, correct answer. The proper the book itself is copyrighted, the reader is authorized to make copies
answer is sensible translation of the design requirements into of the charts and to reproduce these, with proper reference to their
material constraints and objectives, applied to give a short-list of source, as he or she wishes.
potential candidates with commentary suggesting what supporting
information would be needed to narrow the choice further.
2. The positioning of selection-lines on charts is a matter of All the materials selection problems can be solved using the CES
judgement. The goal is to place the lines such that they leave an EduPack software, which is particularly effective when multiple criteria
adequately large "short list" of candidates (aim for 4 or so), drawn, and unusual indices are involved.
if possible, from more than one class of material.
www.grantadesign.com/education/resources -2-
, E2 Material evolution in products (Chapter 1)
E 2.1. Use Google to research the history and uses of one of the
following materials
Tin
Glass
Cement
Titanium
Carbon fiber
Present the result as a short report of about 100 - 200 words (roughly
half a page).
Specimen answer: tin. Tin (symbol Sn), a silver-white metal, has a
long history. It was traded in the civilisations of the Mediterranean as
early as 1500 BC (the Old Testament of the Christian bible contains
many references to it). Its importance at that time lay in its ability to
harden copper to give bronze (copper containing about 10% tin), the key
material for weapons, tools and statuary of the Bronze age (1500 BC –
500 BC). Today tin is still used to make bronze, for solders and as a
corrosion resistant coating on steel sheet (“tin plate” ) for food and drink
containers – a “tinnie”, to an Australian, is a can of beer. Plate glass is
made by floating molten glass on a bed of liquid tin (the Pilkington
process). Thin deposits of tin compounds on glass give transparent,
electrically conducting coatings used for frost-free windshields and for
panel lighting.
E2.2 Research, at the level of the mini case studies in this chapter, the
evolution of material use in
• Writing implements (charcoal, “lead” (graphite), quill pens, steel
nib pens, gold plus osmium pens, ball points..)
• Watering cans (wood – galvanized iron – polypropylene)
• Bicycles (wood – bamboo – steel, aluminum, magnesium,
titanium – CFRP)
• Small boat building (wood – aluminum – GFRP)
• Book binding (Wood – leather – cardboard – vinyl)
www.grantadesign.com/education/resources -3-
Solution Manual:
Material Selection
for
Mechanical Design
4th Edition
Cambridge
University
Version MFA 10
, Materials selection in mechanical design, 4th edition
Exercises with worked solutions
Mike Ashby
Engineering Department,
Cambridge, CB2 1 PZ, UK
March 2010
Contents
E1. Introduction to exercises
E2 Material evolution in products (Chapter 1)
E3. Devising concepts (Chapter 2)
E4. Using material properties (Chapter 3)
E5. Using material selection charts (Chapter 4)
E6. Translation: constraints and objectives (Chapters 5 and 6)
E7. Deriving and using material indices (Chapters 5 and 6)
E8. Multiple constraints and objectives (Chapters 7 and 8)
E 9. Selecting material and shape (Chapters 9 and 10)
E10. Hybrid materials (Chapters 11 and 12)
E11. Selecting processes (Chapters 13 and 14)
E12. Materials and the environment (Chapter 15)
www.grantadesign.com/education/resources -1-
,E1 Introduction to exercises
These exercises are designed to develop facility in selecting 3. A request for a selection based on one material index alone (such
as M = E / ρ ) is correctly answered by listing the subset of
materials, processes and shape, and in devising hybrid materials when
no monolithic material completely meets the design requirements.
Each exercise is accompanied by a worked solution. They are materials that maximize this index. But a request for a selection of
organized into the twelve sections listed on the first page. materials for a component – a wing spar, for instance (which is a
light, stiff beam, for which the index is M = E / ρ ) – requires
more: some materials with high E / ρ such as silicon carbide,
The early exercises are easy. Those that follow lead the reader
through the use of material properties and simple solutions to
mechanics problems, drawing on data and results contained in are unsuitable for obvious reasons. It is a poor answer that
Appendices A and B; the use of material property charts; techniques for ignores common sense and experience and fails to add further
the translation of design requirement to identify constraints and constraints to incorporate them. Students should be encouraged
objectives; the derivation of indices, screening and ranking, multi- to discuss the implications of their selection and to suggest further
objective optimization; coupled choice of material and shape; devising selection stages.
hybrids; and the choice of materials to meet environmental criteria.
The best way to use the charts that are a feature of the book is to
Three important points. make clean copies (or down-load them from
http://www.grantadesign.com ) on which you can draw, try out
1. Selection problems are open-ended and, generally, under- alternative selection criteria, write comments and so forth. Although
specified; there is seldom a single, correct answer. The proper the book itself is copyrighted, the reader is authorized to make copies
answer is sensible translation of the design requirements into of the charts and to reproduce these, with proper reference to their
material constraints and objectives, applied to give a short-list of source, as he or she wishes.
potential candidates with commentary suggesting what supporting
information would be needed to narrow the choice further.
2. The positioning of selection-lines on charts is a matter of All the materials selection problems can be solved using the CES
judgement. The goal is to place the lines such that they leave an EduPack software, which is particularly effective when multiple criteria
adequately large "short list" of candidates (aim for 4 or so), drawn, and unusual indices are involved.
if possible, from more than one class of material.
www.grantadesign.com/education/resources -2-
, E2 Material evolution in products (Chapter 1)
E 2.1. Use Google to research the history and uses of one of the
following materials
Tin
Glass
Cement
Titanium
Carbon fiber
Present the result as a short report of about 100 - 200 words (roughly
half a page).
Specimen answer: tin. Tin (symbol Sn), a silver-white metal, has a
long history. It was traded in the civilisations of the Mediterranean as
early as 1500 BC (the Old Testament of the Christian bible contains
many references to it). Its importance at that time lay in its ability to
harden copper to give bronze (copper containing about 10% tin), the key
material for weapons, tools and statuary of the Bronze age (1500 BC –
500 BC). Today tin is still used to make bronze, for solders and as a
corrosion resistant coating on steel sheet (“tin plate” ) for food and drink
containers – a “tinnie”, to an Australian, is a can of beer. Plate glass is
made by floating molten glass on a bed of liquid tin (the Pilkington
process). Thin deposits of tin compounds on glass give transparent,
electrically conducting coatings used for frost-free windshields and for
panel lighting.
E2.2 Research, at the level of the mini case studies in this chapter, the
evolution of material use in
• Writing implements (charcoal, “lead” (graphite), quill pens, steel
nib pens, gold plus osmium pens, ball points..)
• Watering cans (wood – galvanized iron – polypropylene)
• Bicycles (wood – bamboo – steel, aluminum, magnesium,
titanium – CFRP)
• Small boat building (wood – aluminum – GFRP)
• Book binding (Wood – leather – cardboard – vinyl)
www.grantadesign.com/education/resources -3-
