A Materials Selection Tool for Automotive Structural and Body Skin Systems
881303
09/01/1988
- Event
- Content
- The traditional approach to materials selection is to compare the results of direct substitution of alternative materials on an individual part-by-part basis. The engineer then frequently faces so many design constraints that use of a new material is infeasible. This approach also precludes redesign to optimize the characteristics of new materials. A methodology is presented which facilitates the consideration of a large system comprised of many components. The management science technique of “multi-attribute utility analysis” is applied as a tool for use by automotive design engineers. Attributes include capital cost, piece cost, weight, design flexibility and corrosion resistance. The results serve as a decision making tool to determine which design provides the greatest overall value. Also, the results may be used as a design aid to quantify desirable tradeoffs between attributes, thus pointing the way towards optimal redesign.
- Pages
- 12
- Citation
- Thurston, D., "A Materials Selection Tool for Automotive Structural and Body Skin Systems," SAE Technical Paper 881303, 1988, https://doi.org/10.4271/881303.