A knowledge-based material selector using Quality Function Deployment principles

Abstract

Materials selection in product development is an important task. The wrong choice of material can increase the cost of the product and/or lead to failure in the field. Therefore, during the development of a product, a suitable material must be selected based on product requirements and materials properties. This paper proposes a methodology for materials selection based on the principles of Quality Function Deployment (QFD). It relates design requirements for each component with materials properties (Assessment Matrix) and, later, performs materials selection based on these materials properties (Selection Matrix). Two examples are provided to demonstrate and validate the effectiveness and simplicity of the method proposed. Results are in agreement with other methods found in the literature and demonstrate the easiness of use of the method