Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis for Supporting the Selection of Engineering Materials in Product Design

Multi-criteria Decision Analysis for Supporting the Selection of Engineering Materials in Product Design, Second Edition, provides readers with tactics they can use to optimally select materials to satisfy complex design problems when they are faced with the vast range of materials available.

Current approaches to materials selection range from the use of intuition and experience, to more formalized computer-based methods, such as electronic databases with search engines to facilitate the materials selection process. Recently, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods have been applied to materials selection, demonstrating significant capability for tackling complex design problems.

This book describes the rapidly growing field of MCDM and its application to materials selection. It aids readers in producing successful designs by improving the decision-making process. This new edition updates and expands previous key topics, including new chapters on materials selection in the context of design problem-solving and multiple objective decision-making, also presenting a significant amount of additional case studies that will aid in the learning process.

• Describes the advantages of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in the materials selection process through different case studies
• Presents a methodology for multi-objective material design optimization that employs Design of Experiments coupled with Finite Element Analysis
• Supplements existing quantitative methods of materials selection by allowing simultaneous consideration of design attributes, component configurations, and types of material
• Provides a case study for simultaneous materials selection and geometrical optimization processes

Dr Jahan is active in the development of multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques for the engineering design process, especially for materials selection. His main research interests are in the application of MCDM and quality tools for improving materials, design and processing. Dr Jahan has been involved in different projects in industry related to quality engineering and designing systems based on the requirements of quality management standards and associated decision support systems. He has various publications describing the development of MCDM in design and materials engineering. Dr. Jahan regularly reviews papers in different international journals, and managed a special issue as guest editor, and is the recipient of awards related to his research and academic activities. He is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, Semnan Brach, Islamic Azad University, Iran.

Professor Edwards leads research and knowledge transfer in technology innovation. He also advises government and organisations on educational and professional standards development. Professor Edwards has had a diverse career with senior appointments in higher education, aerospace and automotive manufacturing industry, and engineering consultancy. His broad experience of academic management, curriculum development and quality assurance underpins his teaching, research and professional practice in advanced materials engineering, product design and innovation management, with particular expertise in design decision support, materials selection and new product development. Professor Edwards has worked on numerous large-scale collaborative multidisciplinary research programmes, resulting in the development of novel materials technologies and computer-based design tools. He publishes regularly, has participated in international conference scientific committees, chaired seminars and workshops, and is a member of the editorial boards of several journals.

Dr Bahraminasab is Head of Department of Materials and Mechanical Engineering at Buein Zahra Technical University, Qazvin, Iran. She received a PhD in bio-materials engineering from University Putra Malaysia, and is active in the application of multi-criteria decision-making in materials engineering and design. Dr Bahraminasab’s research on the design of a new bio-material for knee prostheses was featured in Asia Research News. Her areas of interest include bio-materials and bio-mechanics, materials design and selection, and finite element analysis.