Challenges in materials and process selection

Recent developments are outlined of materials and process selection methods leading towards industrial applications. The systematic implementation of selection for multiple criteria and multiple design elements is presented as a natural extension of Ashby's method. The importance of a “pre-defined questionnaire” approach in process selection is illustrated for casting, joining and surface treatments. The use of materials selection methods for materials and multi-materials development is described for the case of glass, composite materials and sandwich structures, and the application of various optimization techniques adapted to each problem is given. In conclusion, possible new developments toward a better integration of materials and process selection in the whole design procedure are proposed.