Performance material selection

Portions of this chapter were adapted from A.R. Marder, Effects of Surface Treatments on Materials Performance, Materials Selection and Design, Volume 20, ASM Handbook, ASM International, 1997, p 470-490. 

Table 2. Summary of Criteria for Material Selection and Performance Evaluation ...

Hydrothermal Synthesis Systems. Of the unit operations depicted in Figure 1, the pressurized sections from reactor inlet to pressure letdown ate key to hydrothermal process design. In consideration of scale-up of a hydrothermal process for high performance materials, several criteria must be considered. First, the mode of operation, which can be either continuous, semicontinuous, or batch, must be determined. Factors to consider ate the operating conditions, the manufacturing demand, the composition of the product mix (single or multiple products), the amount of waste that can be tolerated, and the materials of constmction requirements. Criteria for the selection of hydrothermal reactor design maybe summarized as... 

Careflil material selection is required to prevent brittle failure of tanks at low temperatures. In addition, for tanks where the service temperatures are reduced, it is essential that an engineering analysis be performed to ensure that the tanks are not subject to brittle failure at the house temperature. The tank and vessel codes usually specify allowable materials based on design temperature. Further information about selection of metals for low temperature is available (8). 

However, in general these fabrication and performance advantages are common to all plastics and so a decision has to be made in regard to which plastic would be best for a particular application. Rather than compare the basic raw material costs it is better to use a cost index on the basis of the cost to achieve a certain performance. Consider again the material selection procedures illustrated in Section 1.4.1 in relation to strength and stiffness. 

Pumps, compressors, turbines, drivers, and auxiliary machinery should be designed to provide reliable, rugged performance. Pump selection and performance depend on the capacity required and tlie nature of Uie fluids involved. Remotely controlled power switches and shutoff valves are necessary to control fluid flow during an emergency. The inlets for air compressors should be strategically located to prevent the intake of hazardous materials. 

The pump specified identifies the design data, key portions of the construction materials and driver data as required informadon for the pump manufacturer. If the pump is to be inquiried to several manufacturers this is all that is necessary. The individual manufacturers will identity their particular pump selection and details of construction materials and driver data. From this informadon a pump can be selected with performance, materials of construction, and driver requirements specified. 

One of the most effective methods of preventing corrosion is the selection of the proper metal or alloy for a particular corrosive service. Once the conditions of service and environment have been determined that the equipment must withstand, there are several materials available commercially that can be selected to perform an effective service in a compatible environment. Some of the major problems arise from popular misconceptions for example, the use of stainless steel. Stainless steel is not stainless and is not the most corrosion-resistant material. Compatibility of material with service environment is therefore essential. For example, in a hydrogen sulfide environment, high-strength alloys (i.e., yield strength above 90,000 psi or Rc 20 to 22) should be avoided. In material selection some factors that are important to consider are material s physical and chemical properties, economics and availability. 

The interaction of a metal or alloy (or a non-metallic material) with its environment is clearly of vital importance in the performance of materials of construction, and the fact that the present work is largely confined to a detailed consideration of such interactions could create the impression that this was the sole factor of importance in materials selection. This, of course, is not the case although it is probably true to say that this factor is the one that is the most neglected by the design engineer. 

It is the prediction of performance in its broadest sense, including all the characteristics and properties of materials that are essential and relate to the processing of the plastic. To the designer, an example of a strict definition of a design property could be one that permits calculating product dimensions from a stress analysis. Such properties obviously are the most desirable upon which to base material selections. 

Material selection to meet the requirements of the application, followed by materials testing to indicate the performance over the range of operating conditions expected. 

The technology of manufacturing the same basic type or grade of plastics (as with steel and other materials) by different suppliers may not provide the same results. In fact a supplier furnishing their material under an initial batch number could differ when the next batch is delivered and in turn could effect the performance of your product. Taking into account manufacturing tolerances of the plastic, plus variables of equipment and procedure, it becomes apparent that checking several types of materials from the same or from different sources is an important part of material selection and in turn their use. 

The functions and property characteristics of a product will be largely determined by the performance requirements and material selected for fabrication. The basic requirement of the process is its capability of handling a suitable material. For example, if a major function requirement is for resistance to creep under high loads, it is probable that a long-fiber RP will be necessary. Thus it would immediately eliminate such processes as blow molding and conventional injection molding. 

Some plastics can be worked by many different processes, but others require a specific process (Fig. 10-9). Process selection can take place before material selection, when a range of materials may be available, or made first to meet performance requirements and only then have the applicable process or processes chosen. (Chapter 7, SELECTING PLASTIC and Chapter 8, SELECTING PROCESS) Usually, in the latter situation only one special process can be used to provide the best performance-to-cost advantages. A particular design group may have its own processing capabilities. Unfortunately, some operations use just whatever equipment is available. This situation could either be very unprofitable, limit profitability, or restrict product... 

High hazard material - selection of lower hazard material recommended if I substitution is not feasible perform health risk assessment and adopt exposure control strategy to reduce health risks... 

In ground transportation, the push for advanced-performance materials has been less dramatic because cost is the discriminator in the selection of components and systems. However, incremental improvement in automotive materials has been substantial in many areas, particularly in structural steels and plastics. 

The following section is our attempt to cull the best performance materials for each of the three primary colors, red, green, and blue, from the published literature. As noted above, we base these selections on the reported data and make no attempt to critically evaluate the quality of the experimental study, taking it at face value. Although this may be less than ideal,... 

Rapra have published their own chemical resistance data sheets [9, 10], based on results of tests at Rapra performed by a small team of operators. They are thus comparable one with another and their sources are known. Rapra s Plascams materials selection database provides durability properties on a ranking basis and their Plastics Design Guide includes Plascams and other useful programmes. In 2002 Rapra and Faraday Plastics have launched a new website of environmental stress cracking data (www.esc-plastics.com). 

Confirmation of corrosion performance of the materials selected for process piping, vessels, and other components the selected materials were polytetrafluoroethylene (PIPE) and perfluoro-alkoxy (PFA) linings. 

The targets of electrocatalysis are at the basis of recent developments in the field of water electrolysis. First, it is necessary to distinguish between materials evaluation and materials selection. The former is the search for materials with better and better properties for the wanted electrode process. The latter implies global considerations of applicability. This is probably what makes academic research differ from R D. The former is favored by scientifically exciting performance, in the latter it is necessary to find a compromise between, for instance, activity and stability or between efficiency and economic convenience. 

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