Unit 11.

Eco-informed material selection

Mike Ashby
Department of Engineering,
University of Cambridge

©2021 ANSYS, Inc.

Learning objectives for this lecture unit
Intended Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and
Understanding Understanding advanced tools for eco-informed design and material selection

Skills and Abilities Ability to use trade-off plots and Materials Indices in eco-selection

Values and Attitudes Appreciation of the possibilities to reduce environmental impact by design

Resources
 Text: “Materials and the Environment”, 2nd Edition by M.F. Ashby, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford 2012, UK. Chapters 9-10
 Text: “Materials: engineering, science, processing and design”, 3rd Edition by M.F. Ashby, H.R. Shercliff and D. Cebon, Butterworth Heinemann,
Oxford 2014, Chapter 20
 Text: “Materials Selection in Mechanical Design”, 5th Edition by M.F. Ashby, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, 2016. Chapter 14
 White Paper: Ansys Granta EduPack for Eco Design (www.ansys.com/education-resources)
 Software: Ansys Granta EduPack with Eco Audit tool
 Poster: Wall chart of Eco-properties of materials.

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Outline of Lecture Unit 11

 Eco-informed selection – the strategy

 Case study: drink containers

 Case study: crash barriers

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Eco-informed design
The materials life-cycle
Eco-informed design
80% of eco-impact tied in at design stage
Build-in eco criteria at the design stage

The drivers for eco-design

Focus on carbon footprint by governments
Legislation (Carbon taxes, EuP, REACH)
Incentives (Subsidies, concessions)
Urge for “responsible” manufacture
Doing more with less = $$$

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Eco-informed selection: the strategy
The steps
Use EduPack to select Recommend
Fast Analyse results, Explore options
new Materials actions & assess
Eco Audit Identify priorities with “What if...”s
and/or Processes potential savings

600  When we did “what if’s” we

Initial and re-design were guessing
400

 Can we do better?
ial

300
r

e
ate

Be systematic?

Us
M
Energy (MJ)

200 re

Click on bar for advice

tu
ac

100
uf
an

t r
po
M

ns

dit
al
 Use Eco Audit or other tools
Tra

os

re
sp

Lc
Di

Eo
-100
to identify design objective

 Apply the selection methodology

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Eco-selection for a fizzy drink bottle
400

Eco Audit Material

300
dominates
200
Minimize
Energy (MJ)
100
embodied
0 End of life energy
Material Manufacture Transport Use
-100

-200 100% virgin PET

with recycling
Translation

Constraints
 Able to be molded
 Transparent / translucent
Improve green
Design brief  Able to contain pressure
credentials of bottle
Objectives
 Minimize embodied energy of bottle
 Minimize material cost of bottle

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Modelling the bottle
Cylindrical pressure vessel
pR
 Circumferential stress    y
t
 Embodied energy per unit area of wall
H 
E  t Hm   p R m
 y Embodied energy / kg
of material
 Find material with lowest energy, seek largest
y
R= Bottle radius Hm 
t = Thickness of bottle wall
p = Internal pressure  Find material with lowest cost, seek largest
σy = Yield strength of material
y
ρ = Density of material
Hm = Embodied energy of material/kg Cm  Price / kg of material
E = Embodied energy/m2 of wall
Cm = Material cost per kg

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Selection to minimize embodied energy
First apply constraints, then use index to optimize choice

Constraints
 Able to be molded
 Transparent / translucent

Increasing
Bio-polymers
are colored
green

1
y
Hm 

PLA meets the constraints at lowest embodied energy

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Selection to minimize cost
Can’t ignore cost

Increasing

σy
Cm ρ Bio-polymers
are colored
green
1

PET meets the constraints at lowest cost

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Trade-off plot
Minimizing both embodied energy and cost

Bio-polymers are
colored green

Trade-off
curve Exchange constant
cost/energy not
established

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Materials for crash barriers
Mobile barrier
Static barrier

Function: Absorb impact, transmit load to energy-absorbing units or supports

Material Minimize Use

dominates embodied dominates Minimize mass
Dominant Energy
energy
phase of life:

M Mf Tr Use M Mf Tr Use

Bending strength Bending strength

Criterion: per unit embodied energy per unit mass

2y / 3 2y / 3
Index:
Hm  

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Static barrier: the index as bar chart

2y / 3
Hm 

Metal Polymers Composites

Selected materials: Cast irons, steels

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Mobile barrier: the index as bar chart

2y / 3


Metal Polymers Composites

Selected materials: CFRP, Mg alloys, Ti alloys, Al alloys

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Summary

 Eco-informed material choice is part of the eco-design process

 An Eco Audit identifies the most damaging phase of life and identifies
strategies for overcoming it

 Systematic strategies, using material indices, optimize material

choice to minimize life energy

 Granta EduPack allows the strategy to be implemented and documents the

steps taken to minimize eco-impact.

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Lecture unit series
These PowerPoint lecture units, as well as many other types of resources,
can be found in the Ansys Education Resources webpage.
Finding and Displaying Information Sustainability
Unit 1 The materials of engineering What is a sustainable development?A materials perspective
Unit 2 Material property charts: mapping materials Materials for low carbon power
Unit 3 The Elements database: properties, relationships and resources Special Topics
Material Properties Architecture and the built environment: materials for construction
Unit 4 Manipulating properties: composition, microstructure, Structural sections: shape in action
architecture
Materials in industrial design: Why do consumers buy products?
Unit 5 Designing new materials: filling the materials-property space
Unit 6 Materials Science and Engineering The Design database for Products

Selection The Medical Devices database

Unit 7 Material selection: translation, screening, ranking, documentation The Battery Designer tool

Unit 8 Objectives in conflict: trade off methods and penalty functions Advanced Teaching and Research

Unit 9 Material and shape: materials for efficient structures Advanced databases: a lightning tour

Unit 10 Manufacturing processes and cost modeling The Aerospace edition

Unit 11 Eco-informed material selection The Polymer edition

Unit 12 Eco design and the Eco Audit tool The Synthesizer tool: hybrids and other models
Materials for Bioengineering
www.ansys.com/education-resources
15 ©2021 ANSYS, Inc.
© 2021 ANSYS, Inc. All rights reserved.
© 2018 Mike Ashby

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Document Information
This lecture unit is part of a set of teaching resources to help introduce students to materials, processes and rational selections.
 
Ansys Education Resources
To access more undergraduate education resources, including lecture presentations with notes, exercises with worked solutions, microprojects, real
life examples and more, visit www.ansys.com/education-resources.

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