The process of material selection is not an easy task though. It involves careful evaluation of various factors that may affect the material behavior and characteristics under different conditions. Thus in the selection of materials for a particular application a systematic approach has to be adopted.
 
Over a period of time, the researchers and scientists have developed many methods to facilitate and systemize the process of material selection. The widely known examples of these methods include the Ashby’s Approach, Matrix methods such as Multiple Criteria Ranking Methods, Digital Logic Method and Analytical Hierarchical Method (AHP). The basic principle among all these approaches follows the same tagline. First the application requirements or the functionalities are defined under the influence of mechanical, environmental, electrical and chemical constraints. Then depending upon the weight of functionalities, they are narrowed down by elimination. The set of requisite material properties thus evaluated, form the basis of the material selection.
 
Although the production techniques also influence the final output significantly, but, the scope of our assignment restricts us to the material selection techniques. In that context, we will follow the Ashby’s approach to pursue a real case study of practical nature for a design problem.

First, Ashby’s Approach will be discussed in general and then we will take a real life problem and lay down the parameters for the selection of its requisite material.

Table of Contents:

The guide consists of the following modules;

- Material Selection
- Ashby’s Approach
- Material Index
- Procedure for Selecting Material Index
- Performance Maximizing Criteria
- Case Study – Spring
- Conclusion