Lab 1: CES EduPack Basic Tools for Materials Selection 300965 Engineering Materials (2014)

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School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics
300965 Engineering Materials

Lab 1: CES EduPack Basic Tools for Materials Selection

1. Aims

1.1 Be familiar with materials selection software CES Edupack
1.2 Be able to use the basic tools (e.g., Browse, Search, and Select) to search information able
materials and select materials with specific properties or processes that meet the
requirements.


2. Materials and Equipment

2.1 CES Edupack 2013


3. Introduction

CES EduPack software incorporates a textbook-style data resource on materials,
manufacturing and shapes of about 4000 materials with a materials selection tool that allows
the selection of particular materials, based on their properties, by plotting graphs, inputting
property criteria data or by selecting specific manufacturing and forming processes that the
material should be able to undergo. There are three levels to the database, each contains
information about a greater number of materials and in greater detail than the preceding level.
It is a very valuable tool to engineers a wide range of engineering disciplines as well as
materials and physics. More information is available at http://www.grantadesign.com/.
Watch the following video tutorials before you attend this Lab. They are available under the
Help menu of CES EduPack or at
http://www.grantadesign.com/education/resources/videotutorials/2013/index.htm
Browse Level 1 and Level 2
Search
Selection
Limit Stage
Graph Stage Selection Tools
Graph Stage Plotting Charts
Graph Stage - Formatting
Tree Stage
Getting Help


4. Experimental Procedure

Bring to the laboratory: A4 workbook and drawing tools (e.g., pencils, erasers, rulers,
drafting triangles, and protractor or circle templates). Complete the following tasks and
answer the questions in your workbook for marking at the end of the laboratory by your
supervisors/demonstrators. There are 25 questions with total of 25 marks. Each question has
1 mark, i.e., a correct answer will receive 1 mark and an incorrect answer will receive 0 mark.
Your total mark of this lab will convert to a mark out of 10.
Lab 1: CES EduPack Basic Tools for Materials Selection 300965 Engineering Materials (2014)
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4.1. BROWSING materials and process records
Browsing lets you explore records, starting from the content list or tree. Open the CES
EduPack at Level 1.




Question 1.1 Find the record for the thermoplastic polymer Polycarbonate, PC, a
thermoplastic. What, approximately, does it cost? What is it used to make?

Question 1.2 Find the record for the ferrous metal Stainless steel. What is the value of its
thermal conductivity? Is it a better or worse conductor than Aluminum alloy or Copper
alloy? (All three are used to make cooking pans.)

Question 1.3 Find the record for the Borosilicate Glass, commonly known as PYREX. What
is the value of its maximum service temperature (the highest temperature at which it can be
used in a product)? What is Pyrex used for?

Question 1.4 Find the records, first for Titanium alloys and then for Aluminum alloys.
Which has the higher tensile strength? Which has the lower density?

Question 1.5 Find the records, first for the composite CFRP (Carbon-fiber reinforced
polymer) in the family HYBRIDS, under Composites and then for magnesium alloy in the
family METALS AND ALLOYS, under Non-ferous. Which has the higher tensile strength?
Which has the lower density? Click on the ProcessUniverse link at the bottom of the CFRP
record. Can CFRP be shaped by Drilling? (Double click on any name in the list to see the
record.)

Question 1.6 Find by Browsing the record for the nickel-chromium alloys called Nichromes.
What are their main applications?

Question 1.7 Find by Browsing (in the Process Universe under Surface Treatment, not the
Materials Universe) the record for Polymer powder coating. What are the three ways of
applying a polymer powder coating?

Question 1.8 Find the Composite shaping record for Filament winding, a way of making
high quality composite structures. What are its typical uses?

Question 1.9 Find the shaping record for Injection molding, one of the most commonly used
of all polymer shaping processes. Find materials that can be injection molded by clicking on
the LINK button, labeled MaterialUniverse, at the bottom of the record. Can thermoplastic
Lab 1: CES EduPack Basic Tools for Materials Selection 300965 Engineering Materials (2014)
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polymer Polyethylene be injection molded? (Double click on any name in the list to see the
record.)

Question 1.10 Find the shaping record for Die casting, one of the most-used ways of shaping
metals. What sorts of products are made by die casting?


4.2. SEARCHING materials and process records
Searching lets you pull up any record that contains the word or word-string you enter in the
search box. It is really useful when you only know the trade name of a material or process, or
when you want to search for materials that are used to make a particular product. Change to
the Database to Level 2 for the following questions.




Question 2.1 Find the record for Plexiglas by searching. What is its proper name? Can it be
injection molded? (Click on the ProcessUniverse link at the bottom of the record to find out.)

Question 2.2 What is Gore-Tex made of?

Question 2.3 What are spark plugs made of? Search on the name and find out.

Question 2.4 Search in CES Level 2 on cutting tool to find materials that are used to make
industrial cutting tools. You will find that some are metals, but others are ceramics hard
ceramics are good because they dont wear, but they are expensive and hard to make.

Question 2.5 Find in CES Level 2 what the process RTM is all about by searching on RTM.
Draw a process schematic.

Question 2.6 Find in CES Level 2 what the process SLS is all about by searching on SLS.
Draw a schematic for polymer SLS.

Question 2.7 Use the Search facility in CES Level 2 to find materials for scissors.

Question 2.8 Use the Search facility in CES Level 2 to find materials for heat exchangers.

Question 2.9 Use the Search facility in CES Level 2 to search materials for electrical
conductors. Are the following materials electrical conductors? Copper, lead alloys, wood,
metal foam, cement

Lab 1: CES EduPack Basic Tools for Materials Selection 300965 Engineering Materials (2014)
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Question 2.10 Use the Search facility in CES Level 2 to find materials for lenses. Write
down which polymers can be used for lenses.


4.3. SELECTING materials and process records
There are three selection tools: GRAPH, LIMIT, and TREE. We will start with the LIMIT
STAGE tool. It lets you find materials or processes that meet requirements that you enter in a
Limit Stage. To do this, set the CES EduPack to select from Level 1 Materials (choose Edu
Level 1: Materials from the dropdown list) or otherwise indicated. Then click on the Limit
button.

Selection/Limit



Selection/Graph

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Question 3.1 Find in Level 1 for materials that cost less than $1/kg and are good electrical
conductors. Enter the upper limit on Price and the constraint that the material must be a
good conductor. Then click APPLY at the top of the Limit window. The materials that do not
meet the constraints are removed from the RESULTS window on the lower left, leaving those
that do.

Question 3.2 The property Fracture toughness is a measure of how well a material resists
fracture. A brittle material like glass has a low value of fracture toughness around 1 in the
units you will use (MPa.m
1/2
). Steel used for armor has a very high value over 100, in the
same units. Many engineers, when designing with metals, avoid material with a toughness
less than 15. Use Level 1 and a Limit stage to find materials with a fracture toughness greater
than 15 and that are good electrical insulators.

Question 3.3 Use a Limit stage to find materials with modulus E > 180 GPa and price < 3
$/kg.

Question 3.4 Use Level 2 and a Limit stage, applied to the Surface treatment data-table, to
find surface treatment processes that enhance fatigue resistance. To do this, (a) select table
Level 2 Surface treatment, open a Limit stage, scroll down to Function of treatment and
click on Fatigue resistance Apply. Write down the results. (b) Repeat, using the Level 3
Surface treatment data-table.

Now well do a GRAPH stage. It lets you plot properties and select those materials that
lie in a chosen part of the plot. Delete the Limit stage (right-click on the stage name and
select Delete).

Question 3.5 If you want to make a high-quality cooking pan to go on the top of a gas stove,
you need a material with a high thermal conductivity. The high conductivity is to spread the
heat, preventing hot-spots where the flame hits the pan. The material must have enough
Elongation to be shaped to a pan (requiring elongation > 15%), and a Maximum service
temperature of at least 150C. User a Level 2, first make a Limit stage and put these (lower)
limits on elongation and maximum service temperature. Then make a graph with thermal
conductivity on the Y-axis. To do this, click on the Graph button. On the Y-axis tab, find
Thermal conductivity in the Attribute list and click to select it. When you click OK you get
the graph shown. Use a Box selection (the little box icon in the toolbar just above the graph)
to select and write down materials with the highest thermal conductivities.


Note:
1. At the end of the Lab class, write down your name, student number, and date of
the Lab class on the 1
st
page of your workbook of this Lab, and then sign on it;
2. Submit your workbook with the answers to lab demonstrator for marking before
you leave the class.