Are you considering hiring an engineering consulting analysis professional for help with your project design and development? If so, one of the most important factors is the proper selection of materials utilized in your design. While the overall goal is to design a successful and durable product, what you select impacts the cost, overall stability, and sustainability of the item. The factors resented herein will help ensure the best materials are found and selected for your project.
What to Consider When Selecting a Material for Engineering
When you hire an engineering design firm, such as Engineering Science Analysis Corp, there are several factors we will recommend you consider before selecting materials. These factors include:
Material costs – What materials will cost effectively meet the design requirements.
Manufacturability – Is the material readily available? Can it easily be used in the manufacture of your product?
Environmental impact – How is the material processed in the raw state? Is it recyclable at end of use?
Mechanical attributes – Directly affect the durability and ultimately the performance of your product.
Chemical and physical properties – These properties affect thermal characteristics, weight, and the pedigree of the material used in your product.
Mechanical Attributes to Consider
When developing new products, it is necessary to consider a few mechanical attributes of the materials you may wish to utilize. These attributes will affect the mechanical characteristics of your product. For most designs, the requirements may provide a good starting point for material selection. For instance, if the loading on the product is high then materials exhibiting high yield and tensile strengths are desired. If low deflections are required, then materials with a high Young’s Modulus should be considered.
Depending on application requirements, other important mechanical attributes to consider include flexural strength, impact strength, fatigue strength, fracture toughness, compressive strength, material plasticity, and ductility.
When it comes to material selection, design engineers you hire for your projects will more than likely have certain specific factors they look for as well. It would be a good idea to determine their material selection and design processes before you hire them to ensure they will be cost-effective and will work well with your project and product development goals.
The fact is, material selection is very important because engineers have to plan for any potential consequences that certain materials may present. In the long run, understanding the process used in material selection will enhance the process of engineering design analysis, will reduce cost and accelerate the development schedule and provide the project the best chance of success.
Learn more about selecting the materials for your project by taking the time to contact us today.