Project Abstract

Abstract
The accessibility or availability of suitable materials has been a crucial factor in the development of civilization throughout human history. From the Stone Age to the present day, the ability of societies to harness and utilize the materials around them has played a vital role in shaping their cultural, social, and technological advancement. This research project aims to explore the significance of material availability in the progress of civilizations by examining historical examples and case studies. One of the key aspects of material availability is its influence on technological development. The early human societies that were able to access suitable materials for toolmaking and construction had a significant advantage over those that did not. For example, the discovery of metal ores and the development of metallurgy revolutionized ancient civilizations by enabling the production of stronger tools, weapons, and infrastructure. Similarly, the availability of suitable building materials like stone, wood, and clay allowed societies to construct more durable and sophisticated structures, leading to the development of architectural and engineering techniques. Moreover, the availability of materials also influenced cultural and artistic expression in civilizations. The types of materials accessible to a society often determined the forms of art and craftsmanship that flourished within it. For instance, the availability of pigments and canvases influenced the development of painting styles, while the availability of clay and kilns facilitated the creation of ceramics and pottery. Material scarcity or abundance could also impact the social hierarchy and trade networks of civilizations, as certain materials were valued for their rarity or utility. Furthermore, the importance of material availability can be seen in the context of environmental sustainability and resource management. Civilizations that overexploited their natural resources or depleted essential materials often faced decline or collapse. On the other hand, societies that managed their resources wisely and innovated new ways to utilize available materials thrived and endured for longer periods. In conclusion, the accessibility or availability of suitable materials has been a critical factor in the development of civilization. By examining the historical impact of material availability on technology, culture, and sustainability, this research project seeks to highlight the fundamental role that materials play in shaping the course of human history.

Project Overview

INTRODUCTION

Material selection is a step in the process of designing any physical object. In the context of product design, the main goal of material selection is to minimize cost while meeting product performance goals. Systematic selection of the best material for a given application begins with properties and costs of candidate materials.

Understanding the material selection process is necessary for any form of application or design. The set of properties for a particular material is called the material attributes. Material selection involves seeking the best match between the design requirements and the material attributes. [“Material Selection”, 2014][1]

The selection of materials on a purely rational basis is a very difficult process, the process is not only often made difficult by insufficient property data but is typically one of decision making in the face of multiple constraints without a clear objective function.

The problem of material selection usually involves one or two difficulties such as;

Selection of the material for a new product or design.

Reevaluation of existing product or design to reduce cost, increase reliability, improves performance e t c.

Material selection like any other aspect of engineering design is a problem solving process whose steps can be defined by:

Analysis of material/application requirement: This is to determine the conditions of service and environment that the product must be able to withstand.

Possible materials: Possible materials are defined by the application requirements. For example; you cannot use clothes to build a bicycle. It also has to do with comparing the needed properties with a large material property data base to select a few materials that look promising for the application i.e. screening out of materials that fail the design constraints.

Selection of Candidate Material: This is to analyze candidate materials in terms of trade-off of product performance, cost, processibility and availability to select the best material for the application.

Development of Design Data: This is to determine experimentally the key material property of the selected material to obtain reliable statistical measures of the material performance under specific conditions to be encountered in service.

Strengthening of Materials Using Material Selection Technique

If the materials available do not meet the requirements or do not have all the properties needed; the properties of the material can be changed using methods that are learned through Material Science Technique. Though, there are many manufacturing techniques used to strengthen and form materials; three common physical principles used for functional material strengthening are densification, composites and alloying.

Densification is the most common way to strengthen any material. Generally, this increases the tensile strength by reducing the porosity of the material. [“Material Selection”, 2014][1]

Composites are materials that are comprised of various parts. They can be natural e. g wood, rocks e t c and they can be manmade e.g.concrete. One of the major reasons for the prevalent use of composite materials in construction is the adaptability of the composite to many kinds of applications. The standard composite rule of mixtures is when standard matrix is soft and the reinforcing material is tensile strong. The selection of mixture proportions can result in the change of the mechanical properties of the material.

Alloying of metals is one of the oldest and most fundamental material processing techniques. An alloy is a solid solution that is composed of two or more elements. There is a solvent (majority composite) and a solute. The solute element can strengthen the overall solid solution by different element size, density and other material properties. [Mahmoud Farag, 2000][2]

The goal of design is to create products that perform their function effectively, safely and at an acceptable cost.

Given the application requirements, possible materials and physical principles (i.e. strengthening mechanism), we can select the best material. [George E. Dieter, 1997][3]