What is Materials Selection?

Engineers make things. They make them out of materials. What do they need to know
to choose and use materials successfully? First, a perspective of the world of materials
polymers, glasses, ceramics, composites and so forth and of processes that can shape, join
and finish them. Second, an understanding of the origins of these properties and of the ways
that they can be manipulated. Third, they need methods for selecting from these menus the
materials and processes that best meet the requirements of a design. Fourth, they need access
to data for material attributes and since the quantity of data is large computer based tools to
enable their implementation. And, of course, they need common sense the ability to use
experience and knowledge of the world at large to recognise inspired choices and to reject
those that are impractical. Material selection involves seeking the best match between the
property-profiles of the materials and that required by the design. We have developed
material property charts, selection methodologies that enable this match, and that interface
with other engineering design tools. The first task is that of translation converting the design
requirements into a prescription for selecting a material and process to shape it. Any
engineering component has one or more functions to support a load, to contain a pressure, to
transmit heat, and so forth. This must be achieved subject to constraints that certain
dimensions are fixed, that the component must carry the design loads without failure, that it
insulates or conducts, that it can function in a certain range of temperature, and many more.
In designing the component, the designer has one or more objectives to make it as cheap, or
as light, or with as low a carbon footprint as possible. Function, constraints objectives define
the boundary conditions for selecting a material and - in the case of load-bearing components
a shape for its cross-section.

Material To Make Spur Gears

While coming to manufacturing material for spur gears, a wide variety is available.
This include :
1. Stainless Steel
- Can be defined as a group of corrosion resisting steels containing a minimum 10%
chromium and in which varying amounts of nickel, molybdenum, titanium,
niobium as well as other elements may be present. An Englishman, Harry
Brearley, is generally acknowledged to be the pioneer who developed stainless
steels for commercial use.




2. Aluminium
- Aluminium is remarkable for the metal's low density and for its ability to
resist corrosion due to the phenomenon of passivation. Structural components
made from aluminium and its alloys are vital to the aerospace industry and are
important in other areas of transportation and structural materials. The most useful
compounds of aluminium, at least on a weight basis, are the oxides and sulfates.


3. Bronze
- Corrosion-resistant copper alloy containing 1 to 30 percent tin and, sometimes,
small quantities of aluminium, lead, phosphorous, silicon, and/or zinc. It is more
suitable for casting than copper, and is called bell metal or gun metal (used for
making bearings) depending on the relative amount(s) of alloying elements.

4. Cast Iron
- Cast iron is iron or a ferrous alloy which has been heated until it liquefies, and is
then poured into a mould to solidify. It is usually made from pig iron. The alloy
constituents affect its colour when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impurities
which allow cracks to pass straight through. Grey cast iron has graphitic flakes
which deflect a passing crack and initiate countless new cracks as the material
breaks.

5. Plastic
- A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic
solids that are mouldable. Plastics are typically organic polymers of high
molecular mass, but they often contain other substances. They are usually
synthetic, most commonly derived from petrochemicals, but many are partially
natural










Material Selection
In this assignment, we make a spur gears in gearbox of car. So, we choose stainless steel
as a material to make spur gears. Why we choose stainless steel?
Firstly, stainless steel high tensile strength to prevent failure against static loads. It is because
gear is one kind of mechanical parts. It can be widely used in industries. A gear is a rotating
machine part having cut teeth, or cogs, which mesh with another toothed part in order to
transmit torque. Spur gear is the simplest type of gear which consists of a cylinder or disk. Its
form is not straight-sided, thus, the edge of each tooth is straight and aligned parallel to the
axis of rotation. Only gears fit to parallel axles can they rotate together correctly. Secondly,
high endurance strength to withstand dynamic loads. So, as the most common type, spur
gears are often used because they are the simplest to design and manufacture. Besides, they
are the most efficient. When compared to helical gears, they are more efficient. The
efficiency of a gear is the power output of its shaft divided by the input power of its shaft
multiplied by 100. Because helical gears have sliding contact between their teeth, they
produce axial thrust, which in turn produces more heat. This causes a loss of power, which
means efficiency is lost. Next we choose stainless steel because it low coefficient of friction
and good manufacturability