ABSTRACT
LEWIS W. GLEEKMAN+ Materials and Chemical Engineering Services, Southfield, Michigan PHILIP A. SCHWEITZER, P.E. Consultant, Chester, New Jersey
In engineering practice the selection of materials of construction depends on the item being designed and the service requirements imposed on the item. Simple as this statement is, there are many complications involved in the choice of the preferred material of construction for a particular item. It almost goes without saying that one would not use aluminum foil as a structural roof deck on a building. Conversely, one would not use poured concrete as the load-carrying member on a jet aircraft. These two extremes point to the fact that in selecting materials one has to balance many requirements; these requirements, somewhat in order of decreasing importance, include the following:
Cost Availability Ability to be fabricated Ability to be joined Mechanical properties as a function of temperature Strength/weight ratio Physical properties (including thermal and sound properties) as
a function of temperature Electrical properties as a function of temperature Corrosion properties as a function of environment
tDeceased.
