ABSTRACT
Materials have played a fundamental and evolving role in the advancement of civilization. At present, on the order of 100,000 engineering materials exist compared to a relative handful two centuries ago. Technological advances have provided for two new classes of materials within the last century, polymers and composites, that have dramatically altered the product design landscape. This has provided the product designer with many material choices and potential design options, but it can be a challenge to effectively sort through the array of potential options and identify the best material system for a specific product design project.
